Edelweiss
by yumemirunosekai
Summary: Levi never imagined that in his struggle to stop the titans from breaching Wall Rose, he would have turned out to be one of them as well. Being thrown into the filthy bowels of the courthouse dungeons, he is given the chance to live by Humanity's Strongest, but Levi isn't sure whether he'd manage to survive under this annoyingly mysterious man with startling aquamarine eyes.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I've been told that I swear a lot irl and online, but look at all the fucks I give.

DISCLAIMER: I own AoT. And toilets fly.

Just so you know, I probably fucked up Levi's personality, but remember, the setting here I allowed him to have some semblance of a 'normal' life, so think of him as growing up in Singashina like how Eren did. I'm gonna sorta let Eren live through a little of Levi's lifestyle and see how everything goes.

I noticed that I made Eren swear a lot. Hell, everyone seems to swear a lot in this fic.

Just ignore the slight OOC-ness (seriously, there isn't a lot, I think) and enjoy the fic if you will.

* * *

**Chapter 1: Prelude (Prologue)**

Everything burns.

His face, his arms, his legs. Every single goddamned appendage burned, as though someone had ripped them off and boiled them in scalding water.

The heat is like velvet, but as tight as a vice around him that sears his muscles and made him want to scream. But the tight muscles that dug into the skin of his face seals his mouth, nose, and eyes, rendering him completely oblivious to whatever is happening around him.

Levi wonders if this is what it felt like to be dying. If so, then everything people say about seeing a beautiful white light at the end of the tunnel and feeling all the hurt, fatigue and pain wash away is complete and utter bullshit.

He then decides that he probably isn't dead - dying, but not dead - because he can hear Petra's voice somewhere above his head. She's yelling too much, and the noise penetrates the muffled silence like an arrow. Jesus, she was going to burst his eardrums.

The light that breaks out all around him makes him wince. It's too bright. Too goddamned bright. He feels a pair of arms hook under his armpits and yank at his body, which is too tired to even move. He's being pulled up and out of the blessed silence, but he almost welcomes the sudden burst of noise - screams, yells, wails - around him as the cool outside air hits his face.

"Levi! Oh god, you're burning up!"

That's definitely Petra.

Petra, the little girl who lived across the street when they were younger. She would come over to play everyday wearing those god-awful yellow dresses with ugly flowers scattered on the hem. Petra always came over with Erwin, and they were both quiet, reserved people. That was what Levi liked about them. So why the fuck was she being so loud today?

The feeling of tight muscle being ripped from his skin stings slightly, but at least it's no longer burning him anymore. He hears Petra yelling something before his entire body gives way, and he is pulled out of the enclosure of heat and flesh.

He's falling. The wind that whizzes past him is deliciously cool, and Levi just doesn't want to wake up. He lands on something hard and soft at the same time. The force of it makes him open his eyes, difficult as the simple task is.

He's staring up at Petra's face, which is twisted with worry. Levi tilts his head back more and sees Erwin jumping down from the wall and landing beside Petra, as well as the disintegrating body of a 15-meter titan that is currently being devoured by others. He then realises three things. One, he has just emerged out of the back of a fucking titan's neck. Two, he, Petra and Erwin were trapped against the wall; and three, there were currently two 10-meter class titans hobbling toward them.

They were gonna fucking die.

"We have to get back up the wall!" Erwin yells, but Levi knows the impossible when it slaps him in the face. They were not going to make it in time.

He sees one of the titans stretch out its hand, the large appendage looming over their heads, ready to strike. He closes his eyes and waits.

He waits.

But nothing comes.

Levi hears two separate roars, and he feels warm blood as it splashes across his face.

He cracks open an eye.

A hooded figure, still in mid jump, is wielding two blades in a strange backhand grip. The person had simultaneously sliced the two titans, point blank. Levi's open eye widens as much as possible.

Petra and Erwin also watch, their mouths a perfect 'o' shape, as the person flawlessly backflips onto the disintegrating body of one of the titans with the help of the 3DMG. Levi struggles to keep his eye open, but he sees it. That insignia.

The Wings of Freedom.

_Freedom_.

That sounded nice. He wonders if that could ever be possible.

"That's…"

Erwin sounds shocked. Now that's new. Levi tries to lift his head, just as the person turns around to face them.

"Fuck."

Petra swore. Okay, that is something to be worried about. But Levi can understand that, because if he could speak, he'd be swearing at the top of his lungs right now. Since profanities made up a major chunk of his everyday vocabulary, that wouldn't have been too strange. Would it? Nope, because the person before them who had just sliced up two 10-fucking-meter titans was goddamned Humanity's Strongest. What was his name again? Corporal Eden? Corporal Aaron? No, Corporal _Eren_. There was no way Levi couldn't _not_ known this man. Not when he's practically being worshipped by people everywhere.

The strongest soldier alive.

Fuck, shit.

Levi has to strain to see clearly. The lanky male is silhouetted against the steam and gore from the crumbling titan corpses, and his eyes - Jesus - those gleaming mint green, turquoise, blue, whatever the fuck coloured eyes were fixed straight at them. In a way, the entire situation seemed rather cheesy: what could be cheesier than humanity's most fearesome soldier staring down at them like the scum beneath his boots?

There must be something wrong with his head, because he's actually being sarcastic to _himself_. Maybe he's finally lost it?

"Hey…"

Levi's eyes widen, and he can hear Petra gulp at the smooth, authoritative tone from the tall man, who is currently watching them with an intensity that could rival Levi's own.

"…just what the actual hell is going on here?"

Levi can hear Petra fumbling for an answer, but as usual, Erwin beats her to it. This is probably a good thing too, because Petra looks as though she is about to faint.

"I- We were just cornered, Sir! Thank you for saving us, Sir!"

Levi hears a quiet scoff, and the sound of boots hitting the ground. "Don't lie to my face," he hears that smooth voice say. It is getting closer with each sharp clack of the man's soles on the stone ground. "I saw your friend here get swallowed by a titan, only to burst out of it _as_ a titan. Sprayed the entire fucking district with fucking titan guts too. Care to explain that?"

Erwin swallows, and Levi fights the urge to get to his feet and slam his fist into the man's face. Those eyes. Those depthless, cold, turquoise eyes that are devoid of any compassion slash at his nerves, but his body isn't responding properly to his commands, so all Levi can do is shut up and swallow his anger.

"I- I'm not sure—"

But Erwin is sharply cut off by the other man's cool tone.

"D'you lot of shit-for-brains take me for a fool? I know what I saw, heck, the entire military brigade saw it, including half of the citizens who were trying to take cover from all the exploding guts."

"We won't let you hurt Levi!" Petra yells. She tightens her hold over Levi's body, which jars his already aching head.

The man's eyes narrow. "You'd do well to show your superiors respect, _girl_. And when did I ever say I was gonna hurt him?"

Levi wants to throttle the man, but sleep and fatigue wash over him in waves. All he remembers seeing before his eyes finally slip closed are those dangerous blue-green irises, which are strangely not entirely emotionless when looked at from the right angle.

* * *

The first thing he sees when he opens his eyes is darkness.

The bed he's lying on is rough and stinks of mildew. Levi resists the urge to gag, and blinks several times before he can make out his surroundings. He sees stone walls, a stone ceiling, a filthy stone floor, and-

Fucking shit.

Those fucking bastards threw him into a dungeon.

Levi lets out a low growl and tries to sit up, but manacles connected to the wall have been wrapped around his wrists and ankles, constricting his movement. Wow. They really went all out, huh? He groans from the soreness in his limbs, and manages to pull himself into an awkward sitting position. That's when he notices the dancing shadows that the flickering light from the torches outside his cell cast upon the ground.

One of them is in the shape of a man. Levi raises his head slowly and is greeted by the form of a rather… short male sitting on a chair propped up against the wall opposite his cell. His hands are folded across his chest in an authoritative fashion, and his sharp blue eyes are trained on Levi's form.

"It's rude to stare. Didn't your mother teach you any manners?" Levi says flatly.

The man raises his brow but does not seem to have taken offence, which is a slight surprise. Instead, the man smiles softly, and Levi blinks in absolute confusion. The feminine grin coupled with blue eyes and that stupid long blond hair - tied in a fucking _ponytail_, for Christ's sake - made him look like a complete girl.

"So, your name is Levi?" questions the man. His tone is quiet and gentle - again, like a fucking girl.

"Since you already know, why the fuck are you asking me?"

Levi isn't going to play 20 questions with this bastard. Not after he throws him into this disgusting cell and chains him to the fucking bed.

The man isn't fazed. If anything, he seems slightly amused. Levi grits his teeth. God, this fucker was like a fucking Erwin duplicate.

"Why the fuck am I here?" Levi grits, tugging at his chains, before realising what a stupid question that was.

The man's smile disappears, but strangely enough, he doesn't looks at Levi like he's some sort of creature that pulled itself out of the neck of a fucking titan. On the contrary, he looks at Levi as though he is nothing other than normal, and this makes him curious. Just a little.

"Do you remember what happened?" he asks, tone reserved. Quiet. Controlled. "About what happened in Trost?"

Levi bites his lip. Of course. How could he forget. He's now a fucking freak of nature.

"Don't speak to me like I'm some kid, Blondie," Levi says sharply. "I'm not brain dead. I know what fucking happened, alright? I just don't know why."

Levi looks down to stare at the filthy sheets that cover his lower half. He wants to kick them off, but the manacles clamping down harshly on his ankles prevent him from doing so. A pregnant silence falls between them, one in which the man contemplates Levi carefully.

"I'm Commander Armin Arlert," he starts, breaking the silence, and Levi looks up. Why the hell is this annoying Blondie introducing himself? Did he think that Levi gave two fucks who he was? But then, wait— _Arlert_… Levi's eyes widened slightly.

"You're part of the Scouting Legion." He finally says, and it's more of a statement than a question. Well. This certainly changes things. What the fuck did the Survey Corps want with him? He'd expected to be thrown to the military police after what happened in Trost.

Armin smiles apologetically. "I'm really sorry we have to have this conversation under such circumstances, but you must understand that this is just protocol."

"You people have a fucking protocol for when people suddenly go titan?" Levi scoffs, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

Armin merely shrugs. "You could say that," he pauses, "Did you know you could do that? Become a titan at will, I mean."

Levi growls lowly once more. How dare this fucker say that? How fucking _dare_ he? "When did I ever say I _wanted_ to become one?" he spits, "I didn't even know that this kind of shit was even possible. D'you think I would've wanted to fucking become one of those things if I could help it? You brainless fuck."

"You should really shut that goddamned trap, midget."

That is when Levi notices the tall, slender-looking woman standing in the shadows. Her coal black eyes glimmer with instant dislike, and Levi could tell that she wanted nothing more than to strike at him this very instant.

"_Mikasa_," Armin stresses wearily. "I told you I didn't need any company. You should go and see to it that everything concerning the refugees is taken care of."

"I don't trust him," the woman says sharply, and Levi can't really blame her. Hell, he wouldn't trust himself if he were her. "And I'm sure Eren doesn't either. He wouldn't want you to be down here alone. What if this midget decides to—"

"That's quite enough, Mikasa," Armin says levelly. "Remember that the situation at hand is a delicate one. Eren may not trust him, but he certainly wouldn't like what you are implying. Levi didn't choose this."

"This situation is different," the woman, Mikasa, stresses. "I'm not taking what I said back, Armin. It's a fact that it is possible this midget may lose control. I don't _know_ him, so I'm not taking any risks."

"I'm still here." Levi growls. These fuckers were speaking as though he wasn't in the vicinity. And people call _him_ rude.

"How _disappointing_." Mikasa shoots back, eyes flashing dangerously.

"Mikasa!"

Mikasa stops abruptly and lowers her head. Levi can see that it is with sheer self-control that she is able to hold her tongue. As much as he'd like to murder the bitch, he is rather impressed at her degree of self-discipline.

"Sorry, Commander. I was too rash," she bites out. "I will go and find Eren."

"See to it that he is here soon. If he's busy with the refugees, take over for him."

Mikasa leaves without another word, but she doesn't forget to throw Levi a hateful look before she stalks off.

Armin sighs. "I'm sorry about Mikasa. She's rather worried about her brother, and the whole situation - what with titans almost smashing down Wall Rose - is really grating at her nerves."

Levi scoffs, but Armin just looks at him gently.

"Thank you," the Commander says suddenly, and Levi is completely taken aback at how sincere he sounds. It doesn't fit the Commander's personality he displays in public. When presented before the people, he is cold, strict, and ruthless. Levi hadn't personally witnessed how the Commander dealt with his soldiers, but rumour had it that his punishments could rival those of the underground slave traders. Then again, those were just rumours.

"For what?" Levi asks, his tone cold. "For turning into a huge-ass titan?"

"For sealing the hole in Wall Rose."

Levi stills.

"I know what you did. I watched you as you did it," Armin's tone is smooth, like a mother speaking to her child, and Levi feels like ripping his hair out. "That was a heroic act. You may be given some leniency for what you did back in Trost.''

"Whatever," Levi mutters, "I'm not going to sit here and discuss my doings with you."

Levi glances up to see the Commander looking fairly disappointed, but he doesn't push Levi nonetheless

"I understand."

"Where are my friends?" Levi suddenly asks, sitting up straighter. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't worried about Erwin and Petra. What if the authorities decided to take this situation out on them as well?

Armin raises a hand upon seeing Levi getting worked up. "They are safe," he reassures. "Both trainees Erwin Smith and Petra Ral are with the rest of the 104th trainee squad. We will question them as well in due time."

Levi growls. "Don't you fucking touch them. They have nothing to do with this."

"Again, I'm afraid that's protocol. I cannot do anything more."

"I want to see them."

Armin's brows furrow. "I'm sorry, Levi. I tried to give them access, but it was denied—"

"DO I LOOK LIKE A GIVE A FUCK? YOU MOTHERFUCKING—"

The dungeon door is slammed open, and Levi finds himself being cut off mid-sentence. His chest is heaving, and he's close to losing his cool completely. It's rare that he does, but then again Levi was never very tolerant when people fucked around with his friends.

"Commander Arlert," the soldier greets him respectfully, his hand forming the traditional salute, fist closed over his heart. "Supreme Commander requests your presence."

"Now? But I— Alright, fine."

Levi notices how Armin's furrowed brows deepen as he rises from his chair and moves toward the dungeon door.

"You, stay here on guard until I return or Corporal Eren comes. Do not allow any Military Police officers in here, no matter what they say or by whatever orders they may claim to have been given. Is that understood?"

"Sir!"

Levi can't help but feel slightly confused. Why is this longhaired Blondie so adamant on keeping him alive? The stone room falls into uncanny silence as the Commander takes his leave, and Levi welcomes it. Now, all that is needed is for the soldier here to remain silent for as long as possible, and Levi will be completely content regardless of his current situation.

"I don't know what you did to have the Commander wrapped around your finger like that, but if you think you can just get away with this, you are sorely mistaken."

Levi squeezes his eyes shut. Asking for a moment's silence really is too much, it seems.

"…Fucking freak. That's what you are. I dunno why they didn't just put you down when they caught you, you monster!"

If these words were meant to hurt him, they were most certainly not doing their job. Maybe it was because Levi had, in a way, accepted the fact that he was a monster. There really wasn't any point in denying it. Words like 'freak', 'imbecile', 'bastard', 'monster'… they were like blunt nails striking at him, but not breaking the skin. There was no pain, just dull thuds that reminded him that there was no way, no fucking way, that he would _truly_ ever be accepted by anyone ever again.

"I should just kill you right now."

Levi twitches just slightly at this, but doesn't respond. It was just too tiring to argue with this swine. Levi isn't particularly worried. The fucker is all talk. He won't come anywhere near Levi. But if he does, Levi will have a very good reason to—

"Are you implying that _I_ shouldn't have lived either?'

Levi's train of thought is brought to a screeching halt by a vaguely familiar voice. When he looks up, he sees the soldier paling most amazingly as the tall, lanky frame of the man steps into the flickering light. His gaze is probably one of the most vicious that Levi has ever seen, severe enough to rival his own. Glossy blue-green orbs that are cold yet ferocious are trained on the guard, who is shaking in his boots. Levi just stares, his mind blank.

Fuck.

_Fuck_.

Fuck those fucking eyes.

That's the first coherent thought that slots through his mind, because he can feel the intensity of the man — Corporal Eren's - gaze even though it's not concentrated on him.

"C-Captain (Levi raises a brow. Why are they calling the Lance Corporal 'Captan'?)— I didn't see— I didn't- I didn't mean that—"

"Shut up, you imbecile," the Corporal cuts the trembling guard off easily, his voice cold. "You call him a monster, but how are you any better? You think kicking someone while they're down is a humane thing to do? How fucking dare you use that word to address a human being? Look at him. Fucking _look_ at him. Does he _look_ like a monster to you, huh? You pathetic blind fuck."

The guard is shaking so badly that Levi actually feels bad for him.

"I- I mean— I wasn't talking about Captain being—"

"I don't appreciate hypocrites in the Corps. You _know_ what you meant, and I really don't care who you address," says the Corporal coolly. "Now get the fuck out of my sight before I gut you, you fucking louse."

Levi is rather confused by the conversation, but he doesn't pursue it. When the Corporal finally turns to face him, his eyes are not angry or accusing; they are just blank and expressionless.

"So, Levi," the Corporal begins, and Levi's eyes narrow at the smooth tone he uses. It is not only infuriating, but also makes Levi want to claw the man's face off.

"What was that all about? Turning into a big-ass titan, that is" the Corporal continues, and the casual way in which he asks the question throws Levi off completely. There is no disgust or loathing in his voice, nor is there any hint of curiosity or wariness. The Corporal speaks as though this was an everyday occurrence, like it was fucking normal to have someone burst into a titan from their own body.

In truth, Levi finds his way of encroaching upon the delicate subject with such casualness a nice change from all the uncertainty and the unknown that is close to suffocating him, along with a new growing hate and fear of himself and his ability.

But being the rude little shit Levi is, he doesn't answer the man before him, choosing to remain mute.

"You should give Armin a break. He had to go through heaps of shit to get permission to have you locked up here instead of having you given to the Military Police. You could be in the imperial capital's dungeons by now if it weren't for him." says the Corporal, upon seeing that Levi is going to play stubborn and just not speak.

"Are you telling me to be thankful?" Levi asks coldly. "You think I'm gonna bend over backwards and lick his boots because he saved me?"

The Corporal doesn't even flinch despite Levi's blatant insubordination. He doesn't even tell Levi off.

"Huh. So you can actually speak. That's good to know."

Levi growls out something that sounds like a cross between 'fuck' and 'bastard'.

The Corporal's eyes narrow dangerously. Levi doesn't even blink. He's not afraid of this dick. Glaring is Levi's specialty, after all. He's not gonna be intimidated that easily.

"I'm just advising you to understand your position. In all honesty, Levi, if you keep this shit attitude up, you aren't gonna survive long. I'm not planning on letting you get away with insubordination a second time. Know your fucking place, brat."

Levi snaps. "_Fuck_ _you_," he snarls, tugging at the chains. "What do you care if I survive or not?"

The Corporal's eyes darken, but he stays silent.

"Don't fucking speak to me like you know me." Levi continues, his sleet grey eyes flashing angrily.

A tense silence falls upon the room for several minutes before the Corporal speaks again. "I could force you to obey me, y'know."

"I'd rather die."

The way the Corporal scoffs at this makes Levi realize just how stupid his words are. Damn this man, and damn the fucking situation he's in. Everything is just playing with his mind, and it scares Levi. Since when was he _this_ accepting of his fate?

"Is that all there is of your will to live?" the Corporal asks scornfully, and Levi wants to gouge the man's eyes out. "That's rather disappointing. Why should we save you if you don't want to live? Why don't we just hand you over to the military police and make all our lives easier?"

Oh, the nerve of this man. How dare he. How fucking dare he put words into Levi's mouth. How dare he corner him like this?

"I'm going to ask you a question now, Levi, and I will expect an answer."

"I'm not promising anything, you shitty fuck."

"Language." the Corporal hisses, his aqua tinged irises darkening.

Levi lets out a humorless laugh. "_That__'__s_ rich coming from you."

The Corporal ignores his statement. "What do you want to do now, Levi?" asks the man, and Levi looks up at him, confused.

"Excuse me? What the fuck do you mean?"

"Exactly as I say. What do you want to do? You're a trainee, aren't you? Have you decided which part of the military you want to join? If not, tell me. What do you want to do?"

Levi didn't see the point of the question. It really didn't matter what he wanted because right now, Levi knows that there is a very high chance of him being executed. Such trivial things didn't matter anymore. Even if he were allowed to live, he'd most probably be experimented on day in and day out. Heck, dying _would_ be much easier.

But, if Levi were to choose, he already knows what he wants, and it is exactly what the rest of humanity wants — freedom. After realizing his main goal, it wasn't hard to decide what branch of the military to choose.

"So? What _do_ you want, Levi?"

Levi grits his teeth. He really isn't liking just how persistent this bastard was. Truthfully, everything about the man just irked Levi in so many ways, especially those goddamned eyes, those depthless orbs that seemed to suck his soul right out of him. They made him want to crawl out of his skin, which suddenly felt too tight for comfort.

"I want to join.''

The satisfaction that bubbles up in him upon seeing the Corporal's eyes widen in surprise just spurs him on.

"I want to join the Survey Corps."

The Corporal is silent. Levi feels a smug smirk pull at his lips, but he restrains himself from doing so.

"Why?" asks the Corporal, his expression quickly rearranging itself to sport his usual apathetic appearance.

Why?

Why?

Is this man fucking serious? Why the fuck else would Levi want to join the Survey Corps? What kind of a stupid question was that? The bloodlust that slips into Levi's gaze makes him look almost rabid. Levi sees the Corporal's expression twitch, and he grits his teeth again, suppressing the urge to implode.

"So I can kill the fucking titans, _Sir_" Levi snarls venomously, before spitting at the Corporal's boots.

This simple action alone would have been enough to earn him a flogging that would leave normal people unable to walk for months. He had just spat at the feet - an action of ultimate disrespect and degradation - of a person who was 3 times his superior. If someone had spat at _his_ feet, Levi would have wasted no time in beating the fucker up, so he really wasn't expecting any leniency for what he had done. He bites his lip hard. Levi wasn't thinking about the consequences when he did what he did. He was just frustrated. Frustrated at his situation, and it had slowly melted into fury.

He was in deep shit. Tan man's was the _Corporal_ — shit, Levi forgot that Corporal Eren was Humanity's fucking Strongest. He was in so much trou—

"I see," the Corporal says, his expression still flat. "That's good then."

Levi blinks in surprise when the Corporal merely slips out a handkerchief and reaches down to wipe the spit off his boot, before folding it back up and pocketing it without so much as a glare.

Was this man in his right mind?

When the Corporal meets Levi's gaze again, his eyes are kind, and Levi is taken aback completely.

"It was… interesting meeting you, Levi," he says, dusting his hands on his thighs before moving toward the dungeon door. "I'll… see you soon, I guess."

Before Levi even registers the fact that the Corporal, the fucking Corporal, had just walked away without punishing him for his disrespect, he is gone, closing the dungeon door softly behind him.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: ****Yo peeps. Sorry for the wait.**

**Updates will be sporadic because beta-ing is hard and tiring and kudos to the amazing Eeveelutions that actually has the patience to do it so awesomely.**

**I think some people who are anticipating a court scene will be disappointed. Whoopsies *^***

**And before people ask, Rivaille is NOT Levi. I REPEAT, RIVAILLE IS NOT LEVI. You might get confused if you think it's Levi if you read on. Levi here has no last name.**

**And, you must think me a total bitch for not answering comments, but I'll try to find a time when I can actually sit down properly and answer them all, without fucking year 12 breathing down my neck. But I do actually read them, mostly in between classes or during my breaks, and they fucking make my day and I love you all for it.**

* * *

**Chapter 2: Pianissimo**

"Eren, you're too soft."

Eren laughs sheepishly, looking awkwardly at Armin who is leaning against the wall opposite the dungeon door. His gaze is chastising, and Eren can't help but feel coddled. He didn't need this. He was 29 going on 30 for Christ's sake.

"Pot calling the kettle black," Eren says, laughing softly. "How much did you hear anyway?" He asks, looking away.

"All of it," Armin replies softly, before his face settles into lines of worry. "Eren, you can't- you can't let this affect you. I mean, I understand that you— but you have to keep up appearances. If not, I don't think the kid in there is gonna survive the trial. We don't have enough influence over the Board of Governors, and if anything I think _you_ are the only leverage we have against them. You are important to them if they ever want freedo—"

Armin's rant is, however, cut off rudely by Eren. "Wait wait wait, hold up there. Did you say 'trial'? They're gonna put the kid on _trial_? I thought it was decided that there will be NO trial? Armin, _what_…? Just what the hell is going on?"

Armin sighs. "I was called in by the Supreme Commander earlier. The Military Police want him, Eren. They say that the Scouting Legion no longer need him since we already have… well, _you_."

To say that he is furious is an understatement.

"What. The. Fuck." Eren whispers. His voice is so low and dangerous that Armin is startled.

"Eren, _Eren_." Armin hisses, grabbing hold of Eren's shoulders and shaking him roughly. The action makes Eren look up at him, at least.

"Not here," Armin says, shaking his head and gesturing at the dungeon door. "Come on. Walk with me."

Armin barely manages to lead Eren away, the brunette practically boiling in fury. "We are not holding a trial," says Eren flatly once they are out of earshot of the dungeons. "I refuse to put Levi through that. Haven't those pigs already held a trial for a situation like this years ago? Aren't they satisfied? Why the hell do we need to repeat this shit?"

"The same reasons," Armin replies, shrugging. "They want to experiment on the kid, then execute him."

"_That's it?_" Eren is close to exploding. "That's their shitty reason? What the fuck have they been doing with _me_ all those years then, huh? Slicing me up and digging up my guts? It wasn't exactly all rainbows and sunshine for me either, and you tell me they want _more_? Sorry, but no fucking way."

"I have exhausted all my power in getting Levi here instead of there. But I'll definitely continue to push for us to have Levi, don't get me wrong. I don't want him to end up with those fuckers either."

Eren blinks and looks at Armin, a wry smile on his face. "Did you just swear?"

Armin flushes horribly. It wasn't fair of Eren to keep teasing him about this. He's not 10. He's the fucking Commander for Christ's sake! He wasn't _that_ innocent anymore.

"I'm not a kid, Eren. I do swear from time to time. I just don't see the need to overuse profanities like you and Jean do. Oh, and Levi as well."

Eren chuckles softly. "Yeah. That guy really needs to wash out his tongue. He needs to learn his place as well."

"You didn't tell him off for his disrespect," Armin says, looking pointedly at Eren. "That's a first. Hell, I'm surprised you didn't _punch_ him after what he did."

Eren bites his lip and turns away. "I didn't have the heart to" he mutters.

"Eren…" Armin pinches the bridge of his nose and sighs heavily. "You can't—"

"I know, alright? You don't have to tell me!" Eren interrupts, indignant. "It's just that— I understand how he's feeling. Back then, I wanted to scream and yell that whole time as well. It's just— you feel better directing all the frustration at someone else. Levi is still coming to terms with the situation. As his superior officer, it's my duty to see that he is not stewing in any weird thoughts, so giving him leeway then was probably the best thing to do."

"Eren, I know that you— Hey, Hey! Where are you going? Your room is _this_ way!" Armin yells, but Eren is already heading off in the opposite direction.

"Those fucking swines are staying over in the guest quarters, aren't they? Well, I'm gonna pay them a visit."

Armin jogs to catch up with Eren, who has his hands clenched into tight fists by his sides. This is a bad idea and Armin can feel it. It was _never_ a good idea to have Eren anywhere near the higher ups when he wasn't thinking straight. Armin groans quietly. He's Eren's superior, but sometimes, he just can't get around Eren's hard assed attitude. Sure he could _command_ Eren to drop it, but Armin himself isn't exactly hyped up either over giving Levi to the Military Police to toy with.

"I'm not gonna lose my head, Armin," Eren says, and Armin gives him the best 'are-you-bullshitting-me?' look he has. Eren sighs. "Really. I promise I won't. I'm just gonna pass across the message to those pigs that I'm vouching for Levi. I… I won't let Levi become like how I was before- before _him_." Eren swallows thickly, and suddenly, his collar feels too tight for him. He breathes in deeply before continuing, "I want to help Levi before he gets to that point of no return, because by then the chances of turning back are slim. I would know."

Armin touches Eren's arm comfortingly. "But you managed it Eren. You overcame it."

Eren smiles sadly.

"Yeah, but not without killing him."

Armin frowns, and grips Eren's arm tight. "It wasn't your fault Eren. Stop thinking that. It's… All these years… It isn't healthy."

Eren pats Armin's hand, his eyes not betraying anything of what he is feeling. "Thanks, Armin, but I know it was my fault. I can't just decide to think otherwise. That's why I can't - no, I _won't_ let Levi become like that. I refuse to let him experience that kind of despair. I won't allow it."

The two men had been so engrossed in the conversation that they hadn't noticed that they were now standing before cream coloured double doors, from which loud guffaws and the sound of glasses clinking could be heard through the thick wood.

Armin would have preferred it if Eren had the decency to knock, but Eren had already thrown open the door with more force than was needed. Well, at least Eren hadn't kicked open the door.

Eren didn't plan to kick open the door. He had more class than that. As much as he enjoyed startling the fucking swines, he favoured sophistication over violence in certain situations.

Eren takes in the scene before him: Six fat men, dressed in suits that are too tight for them, making their oversized waists hang over the band of their trousers were sitting around a large table. Bottles of empty vine lay strewn haphazardly across the tale surface that was also littered in cigar butts and primero cards. Eren did not even try to suppress the grimace that twisted into his features at the disgraceful sight before him.

"What is the meaning of this?" Slurred a red-faced man, getting unsteadily to his feet. "Commander Arlert, Corporal Jaeger. What is all this nonsense? I thought I gave the order to not disturb us for the rest of the night?"

"You told Armin not to disturb you. You didn't say anything about me," Eren says coolly. "Sit down, governor. We have a few… things to discuss."

A thin lipped man hiccuped as he attempted to focus on Eren's towering form without looking ready to pass out. "If this is about the titan kid, we've already told you _no_. We are not going to let the Scouting Legion have him. The titan freak is going on trial, Corporal, so just let it be."

"It is a waste of time and resources to put him on trial," Eren hisses, his eyes narrowing dangerously. "The fuck is wrong with you people? Everything is just going to be the same as it was fifteen years ago."

"Precisely, Corporal Jaeger. That was fifteen years ago. _Fifteen years_. Times have changed. We are not going to let the Scouting Legion have another titan shifter. That just doesn't make sense. Let the Military Police have this one to play with. They might even get somewhere by conducting the full experimental process on it."

"We have better equipment and more experienced scientists in the Imperial Capital," adds a man with salt and pepper hair and a waist that hangs disgustingly over the armrests of the plush chair he is slouched in. "The Scouting Legion's scientist is just an amateur. That's why we've had nothing after all these years — your scientist hasn't even come close to figuring out any more that what we already know about the titans."

"Do not insult Hange Zoe," It is Armin that speaks this time. "She is an amazing girl for her age, and we have managed to uncover many new things regarding the titans' habits and how to overcome their attacking patterns. The death toll in the corps has dropped five percent ever since she starting helping us''.

"Bah! What's five percent?" scoffs another governor, waving his hand dismissively. Eren can feel his blood boil at this flippant dismissal of Armin's words. "But if we come back on topic, what makes the Corporal so sure he can control the titan brat? Just because he's humanity's strongest, doesn't mean he can—"

Eren has had enough.

He slams his booted foot onto the edge of the heavy oak table, and with an aggressive shove, flips it over, sending glasses flying to the ground in a chain of resounding crashes. The table lands and comes very close to crushing the toes of the governors, missing their polished shoes by mere inches.

When Eren speaks, his voice is so quiet yet deadly that no one dares retort. The board of governors stare at him wide eyed, and one of them actually pisses his pants, much to Eren's amusement and disgust.

"You forget who I am, you fucking swines," he snarls lowly, blue-green eyes flashing with lethal intent. "Have you all forgotten _what_ I am? Just because I haven't shifted in fifteen years, doesn't mean that I cannot do so. And you dare question my abilities. Do you actually think I won't be able to control the kid? Are you all that fucking daft? If I can't control him, do you fucking think you can? Don't sprout bullshit and expect me to take it lying down."

Eren steps up, making the governors flinch in their seats.

"You say he's dangerous. You say you need him on a leash. Why can you trust me if you can't trust him? What is the difference between us? Do you actually need me to _prove_ that I can control the brat? Is that why you want a trial? Do you need me to put on a show like Corporal Rivaille did? You want me to fucking beat him up in front of you sick bastards? What? Do you get off on it, huh?"

Everyone freezes at the mention of Corporal Rivaille.

Armin finally speaks up.

"Eren," he stresses, placing a hand on Eren's shoulder. "You don't have to go there."

Eren bites his bottom lip so hard it draws blood, only to have the wound seal itself up effortlessly. He turns his eyes, which are blazing with a cold, silent fury, on the governors, who dare not utter a single word.

"If there is anyone who can take Levi on, it's me. And don't fucking delude your already mentally retarded selves into thinking otherwise."

A painful silence saturates the room as Eren walks over to a wooden pigeon hole desk to retrieve a quill and a role of parchment from a drawer before setting the items down roughly on the desk's flat surface.

"I want proof on paper that you people exonerate Levi, and call off the fucking trial. I want it written in large print that no Military Police — no, fucking NO ONE is to lay a hand on Levi unless I say so. No unauthorised experiments conducted by any of your fucking scientists. The only scientist allowed to touch Levi is Hange Zoe. Any violations of this contract, and I will attack with the intention of killing the offender. I will not hold back."

No one moves. No one speaks. Eren can feel a vein pop.

"Well? The fuck are you people waiting for? D'you need me to fucking spell it out for you? Or do you need a written invitation?"

The six men immediately leap to their feet and rush over to the desk, the thinnest man quickly penning down the contract in neat script with Eren watching his every move, ensuring that nothing is left out.

"Now I want all six signatures." Eren says, jabbing at the bottom of the parchment.

Everything is completed in minutes, and Eren leaves the room followed by Armin, who shuts the door behind himself without another word after double checking the written contract, leaving a palpable silence behind.

* * *

Levi is awoken by the sound of his cell being unlocked.

The rusted hinges creak horribly as the bars swing open. When Levi blinks the sleep from his eyes, his vision fuzzy, he can feel hands - soft yet calloused, but so very gentle, much like Petra's - touch his wrists, stroking the chaffed and irritated skin there.

He feels the heavy manacles fall away, and he finally manages to focus on a pair of bright aquamarine orbs staring at him intently.

"The fuck is going on?"

"Time to get up, brat."

Levi recognises the voice as that of the Corporal, only it is much closer than it was last night. The fresh scent of honeysuckle, sunshine and grass assault his senses.

And yes, there is the Corporal standing next to him, but something is off. What is it? Levi can't really— Ah. That's why.

The Corporal is smiling. That's something new.

Fuck, he looks like a fucking kid when he smiles.

"Why the hell are you here? What is—"

A bundle of clean clothes is chucked into Levi's lap, and although he appreciates the gesture, it still doesn't explain what the fuck is happening. Why was the Corporal releasing him? What—?

"Get changed, kid," the Corporal says, walking toward the entrance of the small cell. "You're coming with me."

Levi blinks once. Twice. And then his eyes narrow suspiciously. "Why?"

The Corporal merely grins wide, and Levi is taken aback by how horribly sunshine-y and fucking defenceless the taller man looks, smiling at him like an idiot.

"You're my responsibility now," the Corporal says, still smiling. "Welcome to the Survey Corps, kid."

* * *

Levi finds himself being escorted by the Corporal — no, by Eren, out of the dank dungeons and into the bright sunlight that eats at his eyes. He realises that the building he was held in had been the courthouse under the Survey Corps' jurisdiction.

He is brought to a wagon already prepared with supplies, in which, to his absolute surprise and relief, sit a very harried Petra and nervous looking Erwin. Fuck, it felt great to finally see some familiar faces.

"Levi!"

Petra leaps off the wooden vehicle as she sees Levi and Eren walking up. For once, Levi doesn't mind how his best friend throws herself over him, practically sobbing into his shoulder. Erwin rushes over as well, but he also notices that there is a superior officer present who respectfully salutes Eren, the latter nodding in return.

"Ah, C-Corporal—" Petra stammers out upon noticing Eren. "I mean— Sir!" she salutes, releasing Levi and fisting her hand over her heart.

"At ease," Eren says, raising his hand. Levi notices that Eren had stopped smiling, and his expression is now sitting on the borderline of looking perpetually bored and downright pissed. "As I'm sure Commander Arlert has briefed you on earlier, you will be travelling with Levi. That is, unless you prefer otherwise."

"N-No, sir. This is fine, thank you." Petra says, schooling her face into a more appropriate look.

"Good," Eren says. "Since Levi has already been drafted to join the Survey Corps, he will be returning to our main Headquarters. Seeing that you are Levi's friends, allowing you to go along with him is just us deciding to be nice."

Levi scoffs audibly, and Eren immediately throws a cold glare at him. "You are under my supervision now. I am officially your superior officer, so naturally, my position demands respect from the likes of you."

Levi grits his teeth, but says nothing.

"I do not tolerate insubordination or disrespect of any kind. There will be consequences, Levi. I don't care how much you hate me, loathe me, whatever. I'm not asking you to like me. You don't need to. All you need to do is suck up the fact that I'm your superior, and respect it."

Levi can feel Petra gripping his hand tightly. He wants nothing better than to spit in the man's face, but he has better control than that. His expression turns apathetic, sleet grey eyes blank. "Yes, sir." he says.

Eren doesn't need to strain to hear the resentment in Levi's tone, but he supposes that didn't matter. All Levi needed to do was keep up appearances. To Eren, it didn't really matter as long as Levi managed to visually display his submission toward his rank as Corporal, because all he needed was to convince the governors and the people that Levi understood his position.

Eren sighs. "That's good then. Now, get on the wagon. You will be greeted by horse- I mean, by a member of the Corps when you get there. And Erwin, Petra, I will need to speak with you later when we get to the base regarding your military choices."

Erwin and Petra nod respectfully, adding the 'Yes, Sir!' without much difficulty.

"Alright then. I'll follow on horseback shortly after your departure." Eren says, before turning to leave.

Levi throws a hateful glare at Eren's back before following Erwin and Petra, climbing onto the wagon.

"And Levi?" Eren calls out over his shoulder.

"Yes… sir?" Levi bites out after a moment's pause, hating having to address Eren with the honorific.

"I can understand if you dislike me, but just… I dunno. Pretend I'm someone else or something, and try to not show that you aren't actually afraid of me. Your life depends on it."

"That's what I'm already doing."

Eren stiffens, but nods and leaves immediately after he finishes, leaving a rather tense silence behind.

Levi works hard to convince himself that the subtle twinge in his gut has nothing to do with the sliver of hurt that had flashed through Eren's eyes when he said those words.

* * *

Both Petra and Erwin bombard him with question upon question along the way to the Survey Corp's Headquarters. Happy as he is to see his friends again, Levi really wishes that they would just shut up.

"Did they do anything to you? Touch you? Hurt you? Torture you?" Petra stresses, and Levi shoves her away.

"No, they didn't. I'm fucking fine, dammit."

Erwin is more interested in why Levi wasn't put on trial and was let off the hook so easily.

"What I really want to know is why they were so lenient with you," he wonders out loud, brow furrowing deeply. "I mean, I remember reading through the court archives, and I found that roughly fifteen years ago, there was a similar case. It also involved a titan shifter, and according to the records, whoever the person was had been incarcerated for two months, then put on trial for a month before being left to the Scouting Legion to handle."

Levi is staring intently at Erwin now, his attention completely occupied by the blonde man's words. "Who was it, do you know? The shifter, I mean."

Erwin shakes his head.

"No. There was barely anything about the case at all. I mean, that particular file was in the restricted section of the archives, and even then there was barely two pages of material regarding the case. To be frank, it was more of a short abstract outlining the case rather than a detailed report. No names were mentioned, only that the titan shifter was placed under the care of the Survey Corps. He could be dead now for all we know."

Levi slumps his shoulders. "Why am I not surprised." he mutters.

"But Levi, you have to realise that it is actually something close to a miracle that you were let off so easily," Erwin stresses, "I mean, you were only kept in the dungeons for one night! I think— No, I _know_ that someone, someone higher up must have pulled some strings, heck, he must've pulled a fuck load of strings to get you out."

"Either that," Petra mutters out thoughtfully, finally joining the conversation, "Or that person must have influence over the people _way_ up the food chain."

"That's possible too," Erwin agrees, "And it's some amazing influence that he has. From what I gathered, all requests made by the Commander of each military division has to go through the Supreme Commander to be cleared, and then it is passed across to the board of governors - who are basically fat swines who stuff their faces with food and vine all day - and they are the ones who decide whether the request is reasonable enough to be approved or not. There are six people on the board, so you'd need all six to give the green light before the request can be deemed to be in the clear."

Levi doesn't need to think very hard to figure out what happened, or rather, _who_ happened.

"That fucking dipshit." he growls lowly.

Erwin frowns. "I suppose you are thinking the same thing as I am."

"Wait," Petra says, her amber orbs widening. "Are you guys implying that… _Corporal Jaeger_ was the one who—"

"That is the likeliest possibility," Erwin says, "Think about it. The governors know how important Corporal Jaeger is. He is Humanity's Strongest, after all. They know that without him, there is no way the titans can be defeated, which is why they fear him. I can confidently say that the Corporal has the greatest hold over the governors, because they can't do anything to him. They can't kill him, they can't flog him, they can't incarcerate him. He's virtually untouchable."

Levi doesn't really know what to think, because why? Why did Eren help him? Why risk so much for Levi?

The asshole was making Levi's mind twist left and right with his unexplainable actions, and Levi hated it. He hated the effect Eren had on him. He hated the tinge of gratitude that sparked within him, and he fucking hated the feeling that he owed Eren his life. Sighing heavily, Levi digs the heels of his palms into his eyes.

"Goddammit, I really hate that blue-eyed fuck."

* * *

When the wagon comes to a halt, Levi finds himself in front of an old castle off the side of a beaten path, surrounded by plains of grass and some small woodland not far off. He is surprised that such an open place exists within the walls.

Levi jumps off the wagon and slowly takes in his surroundings. The air is fresh and clean, and the place doesn't look too bad.

"I never expected the Survey Corps' base to be like this." Petra breathes, slightly awed.

"Hey, hurry up and get off!" says the wagon driver irritably. "I've gotta get back to the main city!"

Erwin and Petra are barely off the cart before the man drives away. The castle's main gate is open as they approach it, and there is a man with bleached blond hair sporting an undercut slouched against the wall, muttering a string of profanities under his breath.

"…fucking Jaeger and his fucking orders. Fucking ordering me around just because he fucking can."

"Oi."

"FUCK. What—!"

The man literally screeches and jumps away from the wall, instinctively reaching for the blades strapped to his sides.

Levi raises a brow, amused, and he can hear Erwin suppress a snort.

Petra is the only one who appears genuinely sorry. "Er… Are you alright?"

The man's eyes are wide and crazed, and his face quickly flushes with anger and annoyance upon realizing it was just a bunch of kids who had scared the shit out of him.

"Don't ever do that again!" he snaps, blushing in embarrassment. "I will gut you brats alive."

Levi wants to scoff. Is this really the Scouting Legion? It's a wonder they get anything done with recruits like this.

"Anyway, you must be the newbies asswi— I mean, Jaeger (_Levi raises a brow_) asked me to wait out for," the man says, his eyes scanning the three people before him. "Name's Jean Kirstein. I guess you're the rest of the 104th who chose to join the Corps?" Jean scoffs. "How pitiful."

Levi really didn't care for pompous assholes, but this one was really getting on his nerves.

"Alright, uh, which one of you is the titan brat?" asks Jean, and Levi stiffens immediately. Petra and Erwin move in closer and stare at Jean warily, who appears to be too dense to sense their discomfort.

"What about it?" Levi snaps, tone cool. He is suspicious. The way this guy spoke of his condition as though it were something as normal as the weather hit him hard. It reminded him of how Eren had treated his condition back in the dungeon.

"Hey, watch it brat," Jean shoots back, his eyes narrowing. "So it's you huh? Well, then come on. Jaeger asks that you meet up with the rest of the people you'll be living with while you are here. The other two will have to wait with that lady over there — Hey! Sasha! Stop stuffing your fucking face and get over here!"

Jean yells at a tall brunette nearby who is stuffing her face with a potato. Levi wonders if everyone here is this fucking weird.

"Yeah, you two wait with Sasha here. Jaeger wants to speak with you later. And you, Levi, you're with me. Armin wants to speak with you now."

Petra and Erwin are reluctant to leave Levi alone, but they comply regardless. There was only so little they could do against the higher-ranking officers.

"Don't worry!" says the brunette — Sasha. "Jean may seem like a complete dick sometimes, but he's actually really nice!"

Levi isn't worried about that at all. He's more worried about whether he'll be able to restrain himself from bashing the asshole's head in.

Jean leads him across the grounds to a separate building from the main castle that is large enough to be a hall, knocking on the door before entering. Levi follows him in.

The first things he notices are the rows of wooden tables and the familiar blonde ponytail of Commander Arlert. And then he sees them. The rest of his classmates from the 104th trainee squad, or rather, only 5 of them, sit at one of the many tables littering the room. Levi can't help but sigh internally at the pitiful number of recruits that volunteer for the Survey Corps each year.

"LEVI!"

The way the person throws themselves at Levi makes him stumble backwards, the sheer force of the hug knocking the breath right out of him.

"What the— Get the fuck off me, shitty glasses!"

"It's Levi! I told you he'd get out Aururo! Told you so!" screeches the person who is currently choking the life out of Levi.

"Shut up and give the man some room, Hange."

Levi thanks Erd and Gunther, who pull a very eccentric Hange off Levi's back, before turning his attention back to the room he's in.

He isn't very surprised to see that everyone here are his closer friends and acquaintances. After all, they had already decided prior to everything that the Survey Corps would be their ultimate choice.

"Glad to see that you made it in time."

Levi finally spots Commander Arlert standing a little way away, smiling that gentle smile of his that made him look years younger than he truly is.

"Take a seat, why don't you? We have a few things to clear up, most of them concerning your titan situation, and the agreement we had with the higher ups that allowed us to have you instead of the Military Police."

Levi frowns. "No. I'll stand. Just hurry up and explain the situation to me already."

"Oi, manners brat!" Jean says irritably, giving Levi a smack to the underside of his head.

"Touch me again, and you lose a hand." Levi retorts, his tone icy.

"What was that—? You little shit, watch it when you address your superiors!"

"_Jean_, please," Armin interrupts, exasperated. "Let's not make this any harder than it is."

"But- But— He—!"

"Horseface, just shut up," comes a very familiar voice from behind Levi, and he turns to see Eren stalking into the room with a very familiar looking black haired bitch next to him. "That face you make when you neigh is unsightly."

"_You_ shut up, asswipe!" Jean shoots back, now completely forgetting about Levi and turning to face Eren full on. "What the fuck took you so long, eh? You finished interrogating the other two brats?"

"The fuck are you calling 'asswipe' _horseface_? And yes I have, because unlike you, I actually get my fucking job done."

The two men had slowly come closer and closer to one another, so that their faces were now literally inches away from each other. The killing aura emanating from them was impressive, even for Levi.

The black-haired woman, Mikasa or something, moved away from the pair without so much as a glance, and proceeded to approach Armin. In fact, no one in the room seemed to be that surprised at the current situation.

"They do this all the time," says Erd, waving his hand dismissively. "I've been here since after the attack on Trost, and both Jean and the Captain have gone at each other at least seven times an hour."

"You guys were here long?" Levi asks, curious.

"We've been here since you were detained. Commander Armin said there was no time for graduation formalities and he sorta cornered the entire 104th trainee squad and kinda took out all those who wanted to join the Legion."

"As you can see, there weren't really many people who wanted to, and some like Böse and Ceres who _had_ wanted to, pulled out and joined the Stationary Guard instead. Well, can't really blame them after what happened. I guess they never expected the titans to be so… y'know." Gunter adds, shrugging.

"But did you know that Hange has been working for the Corps for several months already? That means she's been part of the Corps whilst being a trainee! " Aururo says, hastily butting in. It appears as though he had been bursting to reveal this fact, and Levi can't really blame him.

Levi's eyes quickly find Hange just grinning and balancing on the balls of her feet. "Shitty glasses has?" He can't help but feel a little impressed. No wonder Hange would disappear for days on end and Instructor Shadis didn't even seem to notice, which was weird, because the fucker couldn't even tolerate mere tardiness.

"Yep! Sure have! I'm the so-called 'scientist' of the Corps!"

Levi pauses, digesting the information.

"Are you out of your fucking mind?" Levi says finally, in a flat tone as he turns to look at Armin. "Are you seriously letting this nutcase be your scientist? Are you aware that shitty glasses here is _this_ close to completely flying off the rocker?"

"Hange is actually a really talented person. We have conducted several experiments on a live titan, and have discovered certain weaknesses that have helped incredibly."

Levi rolls his eyes when Eren finally joins the conversation. "Well, I'll admit that I'm impressed. I've always thought Hange wasn't really right in the head. Turns out I was right after all, because only a crazy person would agree to work for you people while juggling training sessions with Shadis on the side."

"Huh. That old geezer still alive and kicking? That's amazing." Eren says, humming thoughtfully. Upon seeing Levi's raised brow, Eren shakes his head. "He used to be my instructor back in the day."

"You talk like an old man."

"I _am_ actually rather old, to be honest." Eren shoots back, grinning wide.

Levi then realises something strange. He mentally berates himself for not noticing earlier, but now that Eren is speaking to him directly, Levi notes that Eren is… acting _really_ weirdly. It's as though he flipped some sort of switch, because the Corporal who is speaking to him now is definitely not the one he met down in the dungeons.

It was as though Eren had become a different person altogether.

The stark contrast between the way Eren acts in public to how he acts amongst his friends is ridiculously obvious, and this intrigues Levi. If he were being honest with himself, he would admit that everything about Eren is intriguing. Little to nothing is known about him, and all the new trainees can learn from their seniors is that Corporal Jaeger is not someone to cross.

Who was to know that Eren could smile and laugh like that? He was an enigma, and Levi suddenly felt as though he had gotten himself mixed up with someone that would no doubt screw his entire life over. Not that it wasn't screwed up enough already or anything.

The universe was just _that_ unfair.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hey there again, peeps.**

**So yeah, the amazing Eeveelutions finished beta-ing this chappie, and I found that my grammar is really bullshit.**

**My MacBook crapped out on me, so I lost all of my Chemistry prac that is due tomorrow, so I'm starting from scratch. Fuck it all.**

**Anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter. It was by FAR the fucking hardest to write. Character development is important, but it's a fucking bitch to write.**

**And I dunno how to put this politely, so I'll be blunt. Please don't PM and harp to me about updating ASAP. I'm already going as fast as I can. I'm not abandoning this fic. If I did, I'd delete it entirely, so stop rushing please. There is this thing called real life, and although I hate it as much as the next guy, there's nothing much I can do about it. **

**Anyway, without further ado, enjoy this calm before the storm. Next chapter is when shit hits the fan.**

* * *

**Chapter 3: Adagio**

Levi is quickly briefed on how his life will be like from this day onwards. Levi wasn't easily fussed, unless it involved hygiene and cleanliness. He could accept his position as Eren's ward, and he'd go as far as to put up with having to call his superiors 'Sir' when he really didn't want to. However, once Armin announced that Hange, that fucking four-eyes would be the one to perform experiments on him, Levi almost blew every single capillary in his body.

"Fuck you, no."

"Language, language~" Hange reprimands, wagging her finger in a mocking fashion.

"I will break your wrists if you so much as breathe on me."

"Leviiiii~ Armin ordered you to be nice!"

"He isn't here right now, is he?" Levi shoots back, his eyes glinting in fury. "You are not doing anything to me."

"But Levi, I promise not to do anything against your will! You can tell me to stop if you feel uncomfortable!"

Levi merely rolls his shoulders at this comment and stalks towards the door, but as he lays a hand on the handle, it is pushed open from the other side. Levi looks up, only to be met with those fucking amazing - Levi hates to admit it - aquamarine orbs, which slowly take in the scene before them. Eren immediately frowns.

"You've been in here for half an hour. Why the hell is your ass not in that chair?" Eren says sharply, and Levi bristles."Sit down. Hange isn't going to torture you."

"If you think I'm letting her lay a hand on me, you are sorely—"

"Sit. Down."

The shadow that passes over Levi's eyes is instantaneous. He needed to get used to the difference in rank if he was going to make it through life in the Corps. He supposed that he should have been expecting this since he decided to join the military. Of course he would be lumped with the fuckers at the bottom. Who was he kidding? No matter how skilled he is, no matter how high he's ranked amongst his fellow trainees, he's nothing compared to Eren, and he knows it.

Levi isn't going to deny the fact that he hates it.

He hates being the weak one. He hates being at the bottom, and most of all, he hates taking fucking orders.

"Levi, it'll really help if you stopped looking like you are going to rip my face of, y'know," says Hange, laughing nervously.

Eren is frowning, and from what Levi can tell, the older man seems to be debating how to handle him. Levi definitely isn't going to make it easy. It's not that he hates Eren per se; after all, the bastard did help him out, but Levi isn't prepared to shower Eren with shitloads of respect like the other brats in his group. If Eren wanted his respect, he would need to earn it.

* * *

It really wasn't anything that bad.

_Yet_, Levi reminds himself

"I told you Hange wasn't going to do anything weird." Eren says from his spot in the corner of the room. "You were freaking out for no reason."

Hange had just taken a few blood samples and pricked Levi more times than he was comfortable with, just to see the wound seal up seamlessly; in her exact words, Levi was 'the greatest creation to have ever existed'.

"I'm a fucking titan, shitty glasses. Did all the titan fumes screw over your brain cells?"

Hange merely twirls on her toes and grins wide, "Well, I'd honestly like to do more. A lot more.'' Levi feels the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end at the enthusiastic smile that Hange flashes at himso easily."But apparently I'm not allowed to until you are more comfortable in your own skin. It wouldn't do for you to suddenly go titan when I slice into you, now would it?"

That sounded wrong in so many ways that Levi could stare.

"Are you serious?"

Hange completely ignores Levi's tone and bursts into the air with a fist outstretched. "Oh. My. God. I can't believe this! I'm soooooooo excited! I have _two_ titan friends to—"

"_Hange_."

The quiet reprimand cuts through Hange's exuberant squeals like a knife, and she immediately slaps a hand over her mouth. Levi looks to Eren and can make out the tight look of disapproval etched into his features.

"Oops." Hange says, laughing nervously, before quickly reverting to her previous bubbly mood, a barrage of titan related shit spewing out of their mouth, completely out of control.

Levi is barely listening. His eyes do not stray from Eren's tense form, because he realizes that there's something going on. He's not blind, nor is he stupid. Eren is hiding something. What exactly, he isn't sure, but Hange is definitely in on it. Levi supposes that it's no business of his; after all, he's a new recruit, and one with a seriously fucked up anatomy, what with being able to explode into titan at any second. Of course they aren't going to trust him completely yet.

Levi supposes that he should be thanking whatever God out there that he's dealing with Hange, and not some scientist from the Imperial Capital. She has been working with the Corps since god knows when, so Levi really has nothing to complain about. He's alive and kicking, and most of all, he's out in the open and not chained in a filthy dungeon. Despite being under Eren's constant supervision, Levi is pretty much free to do whatever.

His eyes drift around the small room, which is apparently, according to Hange, their personal laboratory. To Levi, the small windowless room, littered with syringes and dirty vials sprawled on rickety wooden tables and the floor, resembled a torture room more than anything else. The straight-back wooden chair nailed to floor in the middle of the room, with strong leather straps on the armrests, just completed the entire ensemble.

"This room is fucking filthy," Levi says, and it is the only fact he can register. He takes in the thick layer of slime and what looks like some sort of humanoid fungus (or at least, that was what it looked like to Levi) growing on the underside of one of Hange's tables.

The way Hange stiffens, the smile on her face twisting into what looks like a cross between a grimace and an exasperated groan, makes Eren's eyebrows shoot up.

"Levi, Levi. No. Please, no. Not now—"

But Levi is already out the door, quickly followed by Eren, who is amazed at how such a short person can walk so fast. "Hey! Levi! Where the hell are you—"

"This entire fucking rat-hole is filthy," Levi admonishes, completely ignoring Eren.

He storms through the Survey Corps' headquarters, slamming open doors and interrupting meetings, trainings, and briefings that were being carried out in the many rooms.

"Filthy, filthy, filthy."

"Levi! What the fu— you can't just throw open doors like— That's Jean's room! Wai—"

But Eren is a second too late and Levi had already kicked open the door, grey eyes scanning the small room littered with week old clothes and dirty harnesses as well as soiled blades.

"Argh! Motherfu— What're—"

"Wow," says Levi, blinking once, before turning to walk away. "This room is particularly filthy."

"You fucking midget!" yells Jean, and there is frantic shuffling as he tries to yank up his pants. "You can't just waltz into your superior's room like that!"

Levi ignores the screams completely, stalking up to a very dumbstruck looking Eren, who stands there just staring at Levi.

"Captain, that idiotic look doesn't suit you," Levi deadpans, but continues before Eren can call him out on his insubordination. "Where do you keep the cleaning supplies?"

Eren's mouth just moves up and down silently before he finally finds his voice. "In the storeroom next to the kitchens. Why are you asking tha—"

"I'm cleaning this fucking dump. I'm honestly appalled by this filthy hole you call your headquarters." Levi says, his sharp gaze upon Eren, who looks like he isn't sure whether he should yell at Levi or admit the truth behind his words. "How do you even live in this, Sir?" Levi quickly adds as an afterthought.

Eren just takes in his surroundings, carefully for once, and he knows that it's true; the place is rather unkempt. There was never time to think about the aesthetics of the headquarters. For one, almost all of the Corps members were either too focused on training or too busy dealing with political feuds between the Military Police and themselves to really pay attention. No one really cared whether the place was clean or not. It didn't reallymatter, as long as they were alive and breathing for another day.

"To be honest with you," Eren finally says, looking at Levi rather awkwardly. "We never really thought about cleaning the place. There are much more important things, like budget cuts and of course, the titans, to worry about. Everything else just has to come later,"

Levi frowns. "That's the lamest excuse anyone could possibly give me. Why should you let shit like that interfere with basic personal hygiene?"

Eren narrow his eyes."If you're talking about baths, I assure you—"

"No, not fucking baths, you dimwi- I mean, _Sir_," Levi grits out. "Where you work and live is part of you as well. How the hell do you expect to work well if you are living in the midst of all your garbage?"

Eren is silent at this.

"It just basic common sense as well," Levi continues, crossing his arms. "You can't just ignore basic life routines even though all this shit is piling on you. You will never feel fucking normal that way, and believe me, with the way I am now, I will gladly grab onto anything that will give me a semblance of what 'normal' is." Levi is so engrossed in lecturing Eren that he barely notices the crowd of troops that, after having been interrupted by Levi stomping all over the place, have gathered around the two men, watching in absolute awe.

Levi doesn't let his gaze break away from Eren's. He wants too see the Corporal's reaction. He wants to see whether this man can earn his respect or not.

When Eren's eyes suddenly soften, Levi is completely thrown from his niche of comfort. Why, with just that tiny shift in the way Eren is looking at him, is the man is able to shake the walls around him with such force? It confuses him, and Levi hates it.

He then notices the crowd they have attracted. The many curious gazes poke and prod at his being, and Levi can feel the walls suddenly closing in, suffocating him. He catches sight of several familiar faces amongst the sea of people, like Erwin, and Petra. He can see several people looking rather amused and some looking rather disgusted, whilst still others carry a look of disapproval. Whatever it is, he just wants all the attention gone, because he really can't - fuck - he really can't take— Oh, holy mother of- now they were whispering. Jesus Christ, what the fuck was wrong—

"Did no one hear what Levi said?"

Levi blinks when Eren's authoritative voice cuts through the crowd's hushed whispers like a blade, saving him from being overwhelmed by the tiny pinpricks that sear at his eardrums.

"If you all have fucking time to stand there like useless fucktards, I suggest you kick the pitiful excuse of a brain you have into fucking gear and get your asses into the damn supply closet and get fucking organized."

Levi just stares at Eren. Is this guy for real?

The soldiers, both the old and the new, all stand frozen in their places, staring blankly at Eren as though he were speaking some foreign language they could not decipher.

"Um, Sir?" begins one of the younger soldiers, looking rather bewildered. "What exactly are we going to do with the supply closet?"

Eren and Levi groan simultaneously.

"We are going to fucking clean this dump spotless." Eren answers flatly.

Still no one moves. If possible, people are looking dumber than before, staring at Eren and then at each other, as though wondering if they were hearing right.

"Well? The fuck are you standing around like idiots for? Do you need me to repeat myself?"

That is all it takes for the soldiers to scramble away, every single one of them rushing in the direction of the kitchens. Several whispers of 'Where the hell is the supply closet anyway?' and 'Do we even _have_ a supply closet?' ring about, but Levi can only stare at Eren.

"What?" Eren asks, raising a brow. "Aren't you going too? Go get your ass in gear."

Levi decides that Eren is a man worthy of his respect.

* * *

Armin isn't sure what happened, but when he steps out of his office, he sees his soldiers - soldiers who are trained for battle and _should_ be training right this minute - crawling on their hands and feet, scrubbing the floors with vigor. He is even more surprised to see members of the Special Ops squad donning headscarves and holding dusters in their hands, as opposed to a pair of bloodstained blades.

He walks through the halls in a daze, the smell of bleach assaulting his senses. When he sees Mikasa scrubbing the bedpans in the infirmary, Armin finally decides that the world is seriously coming to an end.

"M-Mikasa?" he tries, and for some unexplained reason, his knees are shaking. "What is going on?"

The serene way that Mikasa lifts her head and stares at him with dark, expressionless eyes makes a very undignified 'eep' whistle emerge between tightly clenched teeth.

"Eren asked for my help." she says simply, and returns to her task without another word. Armin swallows tightly.

"Uh, and is this what he ordered you to do? Is he punishing you?"

The way in which Mikasa's head shoots up and her piercing gaze bores into him makes Armin take an involuntary step back, and who can blame him? Commander or not, this is Mikasa they are talking about.

"_Eren_. Asked. For. My. Help." she says, eyes just fixed on Armin without pausing in her scrubbing motions. "This is not a punishment. It's a reward."

Armin slowly, slowly, backs out of the room, and bumps into Erwin and Petra, who are both whitewashing the walls of the corridor.

"Oh, Commander," Erwin acknowledges, and upon noticing the 'is-the-fucking-world-ending?' look on Armin's face, laughs nervously. "Er, I see you noticed."

Armin swallows audibly and tries to regain his composure, along with whatever is left of his already shattered 'strict image'. "It's rather difficult to not notice, Smith. Just what is everyone doing?"

"Why, we're cleaning, Sir," replies Petra, as though it were the most normal thing in the world. "Corporal Jaeger ordered it."

"Eren did?" Armin says, rather dubiously, because why on Earth would Eren order something like this when killing titans is all that is ever on the man's mind?

"If you are looking for the Corporal, Sir, he is in the mess hall with Jean and the others. I believe that Levi is there too," Erwin adds, helpfully, and at the mention of Levi's name, Armin puts two and two together before sighing heavily.

"I- Thank you, Smith. I'll uh, let you get on with your duties."

Armin quickly leaves Erwin and Petra and makes for the mess hall. Sure enough, Eren is there, and as usual, engaged in a very heated shouting match with Jean, but that was to be expected.

"Why the fuck are we cleaning? The place is fine!" Jean yells, brandishing a duster violently at Eren, who is glaring at him fiercely.

"Shut up and just follow order for once in your life, horseface! Is that so difficult?"

"Oi, Corporal, Sir," says a voice, and it's from Levi, who is busy inspecting several windows on one side of the room. "These windows are still filthy as fuck. Who cleaned them?"

"Oh, er, I did." Eren says, turning his attention away from Jean to look at Levi. The permanent furrow between Levi's brows seem to etch deeper, and he waves a hand at the smudged glass.

"Redo it. All of it," Levi deadpans, before adding, "Sir."

Eren sighs and walks obediently to a bucket of warm water perched on the table and collects a washcloth from the basin. The scene makes Jean's and Armin's mouths fall open.

"Wha— Are you seriously taking orders from this brat?" Jean yelps, his face turning red. "What the actual fuck, Jaeger? Are you honestly that much of a pushover?"

Eren twists around to glare at Jean. "Shut up, horseface! Just clean the goddamn place! Levi has a point, alright? This place is a dump! I never realized that there were those fucking hideous looking mushrooms growing out of the underside of my mattress until now!"

"That's just your room!" Jean snaps back.

"Excuse me, but I believe your room is the filthiest! What with you jacking off on your _bed_. You haven't brought your sheets out for washing since last week! What the hell do you do? Sleep in your jizz?"

"Why you…"

Levi just scoffs and turns back to the countertop he was wiping down. He knows that Eren and Jean are probably going to be at it for a while. In the end it might even be him washing the windows himself. Levi pauses in his ministrations, damp cloth stopping in the middle of a circular wiping motion. He never realized that he had actually issued the Corporal an order. He wasn't really thinking when he told Eren to redo everything. It had been a force of habit, since in their trainee days, Levi would be the one to order Erwin, Petra, Hange and the others to clean the barracks they lived in. Levi slips a hand over his lips in thought. He needs to watch himself. This would never do. If the Commander, or someone with a higher position were to overhear that, they would most likely see Eren as unfit, and most likely use that against him.

Levi has to admit that he is surprised with how obedient Eren had been. Had the man, Humanity's Strongest, actually listened to him? Nothing really made sense. It hadn't been a day since Levi arrived, and Eren had already managed to show the many facets of himself that just confused Levi all the more.

"Strange, isn't he?"

Levi looks up to see Commander Arlert walking up to him, a smile on his face. "I see that you have started a cleaning spree."

Levi merely grunts out 'Sir' and turns back down to stare at the countertop, but his eyes slowly drift to Eren's form.

"Yeah. He is." Levi mutters.

"Eren isn't always uptight. I'll admit that he's an old grump sometimes, but you see, Eren… he's rather young, in a sense."

Levi just raises a brow. "If you're saying he looks young, that is rather obvious, Commander."

Armin chuckles. "Something along those lines, yes. But I just— I mean, Eren is just too… _kind_. So kind that it's ridiculous." Armin sighs. "When he first started out, he was rarely taken seriously. The entire Council and Board of Governors were very shaky with their decision to make him Corporal. Even though there were other… complications, his kindness was seen as a weakness."

And with that, Levi had to agree. Eren's kindness was a weakness. And a very, very easy one to exploit at that.

"Eren learnt the hard way," Armin continues," I truly believe that he was determined to squash that kindness in him, and he tried. He really did, but of course he couldn't. So all he could do was to pretend. Pretend in front of the people. Pretend in front of the Military Police. Pretend in front of the nobles. Pretend in front of the Governors. And pretend in front of the king. He built up a pretty convincing image."

"I can see that." Levi says flatly, turning to look at Armin, his eyes narrowing suspiciously. "What are you telling me this?"

"Eren lets his guard down too much, actually. Mikasa agrees with me too. He does it unconsciously most of the time, but sometimes, he does so intentionally, and we worry that he might be just a little too open with the wrong people," continues Armin, completely ignoring Levi.

"Are you suggesting something, Commander?" Levi asks, his attention now completely on Armin as his fingers twist tighter into the cleaning cloth.

This time when Armin turns his blue gaze on Levi, there is no twinkle in his eyes and no trace of humor. They are flat and stormy, which sends a spark of something akin to alarm up Levi's spine.

"I suggest you watch your step, Levi. Be very, very careful with your decisions. _Very_ careful_."_

If looks could kill, Armin would be dead right now. He wanted to throttle the Commander. Make the man hurt, because how fucking dare he insinuate—

"Hey, Armin!"

Levi blinks away the fog of red that shrouds his vision to see Eren walking up to them and Jean storming out of the room, muttering a string of profanities under his breath. Seeing Eren approaching, Armin quickly switches to his usual smiling face again, and Levi takes several deep breaths to calm himself.

"Er, I suppose you noticed the… cleaning thing going on, but really, I never realized how much of a dump we've been living in until now, and— Did I miss anything?" Eren asks, quickly sensing the tension between Levi and Armin.

"Oh, it's nothing, really," Armin says dismissively. He gives Levi a friendly pat on the shoulder, which has the man stiffening almost at once."I was just telling Levi how he should handle fragile things with care."

If Armin wasn't the Commander, Levi would not have had a problem with` smashing his face into the wooden countertop. His fingers itched to do so, and Levi could only bite his lip and stop himself from imploding.

"Uh huh," Eren says, not convinced.

The awkwardness is interrupted by the sound of the town bell, miles away, ringing heavily three times.

"Oh, hell, I didn't realize how late it is. C'mon, Levi. I need to take you to your room before dinner. You will probably want to clean it first. Don't worry about the windows, I'll get to it later."

Levi follows Eren numbly, turning his back to Armin and feeling very glad to be walking away from the man. His head is still ringing with what the Commander said, and Levi suddenly feels like retching. He isn't really sure why, but Armin's words had made him question himself as well as Eren.

Why was Eren allowing him to do this? Why was the ass dropping down his guard so much that the soft, vulnerable insides were showing? Levi hadn't known Eren for long, but he could already tell where to attack, where to twist the knife so that it hurt the most. Levi knows, he's confident, that if he wanted, he could bring down the Corporal completely. Strip him bare of his facades and protections and leave the raw, tender undersides exposed to the world.

"Levi?"

Fuck.

Fuck.

Levi wants to yell, to scream.

Stop looking. Stop staring goddammit. Stop staring with those fucking eyes. Those ridiculously blue-green eyes that just make his insides clench and twist.

"What?" Levi all but snaps,"…Sir?" he adds quickly after a beat.

Eren stops walking, and just looks at Levi, who pointedly averts his gaze and tries not to fidget under his gaze.

"Don't listen to Armin and his overprotective shit."

Levi's head snaps up to looks at Eren so quickly it's a wonder he doesn't get whiplash, but Eren is already halfway down the corridor

* * *

When Eren brings Levi to his room, Levi is wholly and utterly glad he does, because the place was just horribly filthy.

"The dungeons again. How predictable," he grunts, quickly wrapping a clean towel around his nose and getting to work.

"Sorry," Eren says, and he really sounds genuinely sorry. "I couldn't authorise a normal room."

Levi merely shrugs, and proceeds to strip the small bed in a corner of the stone room of its grimy sheets and covers. "…How fucking disgusting. I can't understand how you put up with all that filth."

"I guess I just didn't really notice it," Eren chuckles, as he sweeps the dust out of the room with the willow twig broom he brought down with them.

"Hold the broom at an angle," Levi says, his hands never straying from their tasks. "You'll never get the dust in the cracks that way."

"Oh," Eren says, and turns to looks at Levi. "How d'you know so much about this cleaning business anyways?"

Levi shrugs, dumping the yellowing sheets into a basket and proceeding to scrub down the bed frame. "My mother," he says simply. "She taught me everything to do with this shit. Can't say I regret listening to her."

Eren hums thoughtfully. "Where is she now?"

"Dead," Levi replies shortly. "Fell sick during the final wave of the Dendrite Plague a few years back."

The silence that follows is thick and suffocating. Levi can feel Eren staring at him, and he wishes the man would just stop it.

"I'm sorry."

Levi sighs. "Doesn't matter. At least she wasn't eaten by a titan. Dead long before the fall of wall Maria, so I guess that's a good thing."

The lack of feeling in his tone may have appalled some, but Eren recognizes the tightness in his voice. It was the same tone used by many who had experienced shit like this. They lock it all in and don't feel it, forcing themselves to become numb. It worked like a fucking charm.

"Fuck, what the hell are you doing?" Levi hisses, and drops the dirty rag in his hands before approaching Eren with a scowl marring his features. "Don't you know how to clean properly? Jesus, you can't do anything right, can you? Sir?"

He snatches the broom from Eren and takes matters into his own hands.

Eren can only laugh nervously, and he sounds so fucking young that Levi's insides clench horribly again.

"I never really had the time to worry about cleanliness, and I didn't have anyone to remind me of it," Eren admits. "Even after I joined the Corps, eliminating titans was all I really cared about. Nothing else mattered. I guess it just seemed pretty trivial to me compared to everything else we had to deal with."

Levi merely scoffs, but doesn't push him further. Eren's past is none of his business, and Levi isn't going to try to find out. He didn't care for it.

"I'll see if I can get you some new sheets," Eren says, grimacing at the basket of filthy bedclothes and covers. "I doubt those are useable at all."

Levi hums noncommittally as he slowly takes in his surroundings again, this time concentrating on the dampness and darkness of the very cold stone room. The place was just ridiculously miserable, albeit better compared to the dungeons beneath the courthouse.

"Don't look so sick," Eren suddenly says, his voice reassuring. "I'll be escorting you down at night, so you shouldn't get lonely."

Levi's scowl intensifies, and he turns away from Eren. "Tch, I didn't even say anything. My only problem with the place is that it's fucking filthy."

"That's why I'm helping you clean it." Eren retorts, his tone playful.

Levi can only roll his eyes. "You don't even know how to execute basic cleaning skills. No offence, but you're actually flat out useless when it comes to this, Sir."

When Eren laughs, Levi hears something crack in the air between them. It's rather disconcerting, but he pays no mind to the comfortable silence that settles between them after that.

By the time they head up for dinner, the mess hall is almost full. Eren parts ways with Levi to sit at the main table with Armin, Mikasa and the other superiors, while Levi heads off to sit with Petra and Erwin, who - bless them - saved a seat as well as a plate of bread and what looked like dried meat for him.

Throughout his meal Levi barely tastes the food, not that it was any good in the first place, but his attention is more fixed on the main table, where Eren sits deep in conversation with Armin. He doesn't know how long he stares at Eren, as though trying to memorize his every feature, but when he blinks, there is barely anyone left in the mess hall and Erwin is prodding at his ribs.

"The Corporal is coming over," Erwin says, and sure enough, Eren approaches the recruit's table with his usual confident stride.

"C'mon. Let's go."

He has a small candle in his hand and a small blade strapped to his waist. Levi doesn't like the flat look in Eren's eyes, but he has to comply. It's not like he has much of a choice anyways.

Eren leads him out of the mess hall and down the dark corridors. Levi tries to staunch the dread that creeps up his throat, because over his dead body will he show an ounce of weakness before Eren.

The dungeons feel even colder at night, and Levi can see hideous faces morphing out of the shadows. Fuck. He bites his lip, hands clenching into tight fists.

"Hey, I took the liberty of getting someone to set up clean sheets for you. And, I'm sorry, but I'll have to chain you up for the night, but— Levi?"

Levi blinks. His hands are cold and clammy with sweat, but he merely scowls and turns away from Eren before walking to his bed, which, like Eren had said, was set up with clean sheets and covers, thank fuck.

Eren sets the candle down on a table next to the bed and leans over Levi to pull at a set of manacles attached to the wall by thick chains. Levi tenses at how close Eren is, and a distinct scent of honeysuckle and grass assault his senses. Fuck, he even smelled like freedom. How ridiculously cliché.

Eren takes Levi's wrists, and the gentleness of his actions tug at Levi's insides sharply. Why the fuck is Eren being so gentle with him? Making sure that the manacles do not pinch his skin, Eren clamps them shut and turns the key.

"Done. I'll come retrieve you at daybreak, so I suggest you get some sleep." And with that, Eren picks up the candle and walks to the exit.

Levi doesn't want to see Eren leave. It'll just remind him of where he is and the many hours it would be before he got to see the light of day again.

He closes his eyes.

If only going to sleep was as easy as Eren had put it.

Of fucking course it wasn't.

Levi supposes hefell asleep some time later, because the next thing he knows he's upright and panting, fingers twisted tightly into sheets stained with sweat.

Fucking hell. It was so bad that for a moment he couldn't even remember what the hell kind of sick dream he had, but after his heart rate returned to normal, everything came crashing down.

Levi wasn't going to hyperventilate. He wasn't. He couldn't because if he did, he'd die choking on his own fears and there would be no one to know that he even—

"You're finally awake."

Levi's heart stops for a second, and then he notices the dim outline of a person sitting against the bars of his cell on the floor.

"You were tossing around a lot. I thought you were having a fit or something."

Levi doesn't need light to know who it is that's sitting with him in the dark.

"H-How long have you been sitting there, Sir?" he asks, voice hoarse and shaky, much to his disgust.

There is a silence.

"From the start." Eren replies, and Levi stills.

"What?"

There is an exasperated groan in the darkness. "If you need it to be put in a sappy way, then I meant that I never left, you idiot. But I didn't wake you because it's supposed to be bad to shake someone up from an intense dream."

Levi can only scoff despite everything. "It was more of a fucking nightmare than a dream, Sir."

There is complete silence, one in which Levi just listens to Eren's breathing.

"Hey, Levi?"

"What, Sir?"

"Do you have a favourite food?"

Silence.

"The fuck—"

"Language," says Eren. "I'll repeat my question. I asked if you—"

"Hearty stew."

Again, silence.

"You know, you should stop interrupting me," Eren says, his tone annoyed. "Anyway, I see. Then what's your favorite season?"

This time Levi answers more readily.

"Autumn."

"Figures. Mine's summer. Then, what's your favourite fruit?"

Levi remembers answering several more very childish, very dumb questions before he slips into blessed oblivion. When he wakes up, the first thing he sees is a figure curled into an awkward form, crouched in a sitting position against the bars of his cell, fast asleep.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I'll say this first, Eveelutions, you are the BEST BETA EVER.**

**No seriously, she's awesome.**

**Enjoy the shit hitting the fan in this chapter (i.e: fuckloads of drama)**

**Oh, and next chapter is the last chapter for this part of the series.**

* * *

**Chapter 4: Crescendo **

Levi had not expected life in the Corps to be this strange.

His days slowly fell into a sort of routine that he could more or less bear. Every morning at daybreak, Eren would unlock his cell door, and forcefully drag him out from under the thin covers. He'd then be steered up to the mess hall for breakfast, which would be a pitiful bowl of rice gruel and wilted vegetables flavored with chicken fat, because the government was actually underfunding the Scouting Legion. Levi didn't complain. He'd eaten worse.

Eren would thenescort him to Hange's lab to be experimented on as per agreement with the higher ups.

Hange hadn't been shitting him when she said that herexperiments would get more interesting. One day he had to donate an entire fucking arm just because Hange wanted to see if it would grow back. He had bit down on the rag that Eren had shoved between his teeth so hard, that his jaw ached for hours after that.

Experiments and training sessions were not bad, once Levi got used to them. But there was no denying that his favorite time of the day was when cleaning duties were to be carried out. Eren was still bad at his jobs, and Jean was still a fucking asshole, but the noise just made everything more appealing, more… normal.

When night fell, Eren would lead Levi down to the dungeons, and this was his most hated part of the day. The dark stone walls always seemed to be closing in, and Levi just felt like tearing his hair out whenever the time came for him to return to his cell, dreaded it even.

He never spoke about it to anyone, but Eren must have noticed something wasoff, because after his duties were done, he would always stay with Levi into the wee hours of the morning. Most of the time he would just ramble on about random shit, but sometimes he would hum softly under his breath. It was always the same song, Levi noticed.

'It's a lullaby my mom composed,' Eren had said when Levi asked.

Levi found out that Eren had grown up in the Underground Capital by accident straight after that conversation.

He hadn't meant to pry into Eren's past. After all, it just wasn't any of his business. He blamed Erwin completely. Levi wasn't sure how the fucking genius had gotten his hands on the information, and he really didn'twant to know, but he had to admit that the Corporal's shady past did intrigue him.

Nothing much was known about Eren, only that the previous Commander had recruited him for reasons unknown to the present generation. Erwin had somehow managed to discover that Eren had lost his parents _within_ the walls, and this just added to the mystery that surrounded the Corporal. Another thing that really confused Levi, although not enough to make him want to ask, was the reason behind Eren'shelp. They had no prior connections before the attack on Trost, and if it weren't for his titan shifting business, Eren would most likely have lumped him with the rest of the recruits without a second thought. Was it just because he could shift? Was it just because hewasa valuable asset to the Corps?

Fuck, people had begun to label him as Humanity's Last Hope. What the fuck was wrong with them?

The not-so-subtle special treatment Eren showered him with was getting more and more obvious with each passing day, and it wasn't helping the situation either. Levi wasn'tblind to the larger portions of food on his plate from time to time compared to the other recruits, and sometimes his meals would consist of fresh baked bread as well as thin slices of venison seasoned with _salt_. Salt, of all things. Fucking shit.

Petra and Erwin,who sat next to him, would moan and grumble, but they never really questioned Eren's actions. Erwin, of course, knew, but Petra was more relieved that there was someone out there looking out for Levi as well. Levi didn't know whether he hated it or liked it. For the umpteenth time, a plate of well-cooked meat and gravy is plonked down before him by Eren, who silently removes Levi's own plate of miserable looking stale bread and tough, overcooked meat.

Levi scowls.

"Why the actual _hell_ are you doing this, Sir?" he grits out, ignoring the jealous stares of other recruits. "Are you trying to get me murdered in the shower stalls?"

Eren merely shrugs. "Just eat it, Levi."

"What is thi— Oh, hell. Are you fucking serious?" Levi groans as he takes in the thick slices of juicy beef drizzled in hot gravy. "This is too much. I can't finish this."

"Eat it all," Eren says, not really caring. "Tomorrow we are going to try and get you to transform."

Levi immediately stiffens.

"So what? Is this like my last meal or something?"

Eren chortles. "No, just a gesture. You'll need all the energy you can get tomorrow."

The Corporal then stalks away with Levi's plate in his hands, back to the main table.

"Oh my," says Petra, looking in awe at the main table. "I've always wondered where he got all the food for you, but I think the Corporal's been giving you _his_ dinner."

Levi's eyes immediately snap upto glare at Eren, who seems to be being told off by a very annoyed looking Mikasa. Just as Petra said, Levi's plate of rubbery beef and rock hard bread is placed before the man.

Levi just grits his teeth.

"I never asked for this," he mutters, staring at the plate of food before him, and oh fuck did it smell amazing. "I don't know why he's doing this."

Petra only laughs.

"Well, I think he's just concerned. Cheer up, Levi. And the Corporal is right. You should really stock up on energy for… er, whatever it is tomorrow."

Somehow, Levi feels that tomorrow is not going to be a good day at all.

* * *

He couldn't have been more correct.

They had agreed to carry out his transformation in the field close to the stables. Levi hadn't liked it at all. What if he lost control? What if he hurt someone? What if they couldn't stop him?

All the what-ifs bounced around his head like a fucking warning, telling him to not go through with this, but Eren had been adamant that he transformed. The Corporal had told him that it was best if they tried to get him to be able to control himself now rather than later. Fuck the fact that he wasn't ready, they had to do it now.

Well, fuck Eren and his so called advice.

The minute he dug his teeth into his hand, Levi had felt the muscle wrap around him, had felt the searing heat, and then… nothing. It was as though he was put to sleep under heavy doses of sleep-aid, and for once, he didn't dream. He didn't hear the screaming voices. He didn't hear Eren yelling out to him. He didn't hear the shrill cry of pain.

It felt like eons before he felt anything, and the first thing he registered was the heat and the pain, and the exhaustion, which was weird, because he'd been sleeping for ages. He heard Eren yelling his name, and he wanted to tell him to shut the fuck up, but then he heard flesh being ripped open, and felt a pair of arms grab him below the armpits, forcefully dragging him out of the darkness and heat.

Itwas like deja vu, but this time, the arms that held him were strong and supple, and the voice a deep baritone that soothed his fray nerves.

Of course, Levi blacked out after that. He wasn't expecting anything less.

What he wasn't expecting was to wake up to a dark, damp ceiling with a warm hand gripping his own tightly. When Levi's sore eyes finally adjust to the darkness, he sees Eren slumped against the wall whilst sitting next to him on his already very narrow bed.

His eyes are closed, and Levi notes the dried blood that cakes the side of his face as well as the rest of his clothes. The man is fucking filthy. Why the hell is he sitting on his bed?

As soon as Levi tries to pry his hand from Eren's the Corporal's eyes shoot open, and Levi jumps upon having those depthless aquamarine orbs staring down at him.

"Fucking finally," Eren breathes, and he massages his temples. "The fuck were you thinking? Sleeping for 2 fucking days?"

"I was out for two _days_?" Levi stresses, but his voice comes out weak and dry. Eren releases Levi's hand for a water jug perched on the ground next to him before placing the rim to Levi's cracked lips.

Levi swallows the water the best he can. The cool liquid burns his very dry throat, even though it does help with his light-headedness. He almost throws a fit when he realizes that he hasn't showered since he was extracted from the titan, and neither has Eren, but then another thought creeps into his mind. Why the hell is Eren coated in blood in the first place? If it was Levi's titan blood, it should have evaporated ages ago, so… whose fucking blood was it?

"Whose blood is this?" Levi asks, his voice tight and dread filling his gut.

The look on Eren's face darkens. "Levi, no one blames you,"he says quickly, and this just makes his insides churn harder. Levi digs his nails into Eren's arm, not caring if he draws blood.

"What the fuck did I do?" Levi demands, his voice strained and close to cracking.

"Levi—"

"WHAT DID I DO?"

Completely forgetting his place, Levi is close to beating the answer out of Eren, and he supposes his superior must have noticed. Aresigned looks passes across his face, and he closes a hand around Levi's wrist, blue-green eyes filled with an emotion foreign to Levi as they stared into his own, crazed grey orbs.

"Petra," Eren says, and the single word makes Levi's insides curl and disintegrate into little shards that cut and tear at his conscience.

All he can do is stare at Eren, whose hand on his keeps him grounded.

"Take me to her."

Eren looks caught between denying his request and accepting it. "Levi, I don't think that it's the best idea—" he begins, but no. Levi has had enough with what Eren thinks. He's had enough of Eren's fucking ideas, because they are what led to all this shit in the first place. Eren is not going to get to him again. Fuck the bastard.

"NO. No more. No more 'I think' and 'What's best for what' bullshit. You're gonna fucking take me to her _now_,"Levi says, and the absolute hatred in his voice makes Eren's eyes widen.

"Alright," Eren finally says, and it's that single word that makes Levi hold back from ripping Eren's throat out. "But you cannot gointo the room. No one is allowed in besides the nurses. Her condition is too unstable."

If that was to comfort him, Eren was certainly doing a shit job at it, but at least he could see Petra. Fuck, what the hell did he actually do? This is why he didn't want to transform. This is why he hated this. Fuck. Fuck it all. Fuck Eren for saving him. He should have just let Levi stew in the dungeons, then Petra wouldn't be—

He doesn't notice the many stares he receives as Eren leads him down to the infirmary, doesn't hear the fearful whispers and snide comments. All he can see isthe small door that seems to be fucking eons away.

Erwin and Hange are crowded around the entrance looking tired and harried. Hange's eyes immediately brighten when she sees Levi and Eren approaching.

'Levi! Thank god you woke up!" she says, spirit lifting immediately. "How are you feeling?"

But Levi doesn't hear her, nor does he feel Erwin wrap and arm around his shoulders into a quick hug. He sees past them, into a room where Petra is lying on a bed, her face deathly pale and bloodstained bandages wrapped around her torso and throat.

Levi isn't stupid. He can tell that this is one fucking close call. Petra is alive, but it's his fault that she's like this. He did this to her. He shouldn't have transformed. He knew that he could never control it. He had already told Eren he couldn't, and what does the fucker do? He doesn't listen.

How could he have done this? What the actual fuck is he? Maybe they were right. Maybe he really couldn't be controlled. Maybe that's what the Scouting Legion wants as well. All they want is to fuck with him. Experiment with him. They don't care what happens to him. He's just a fucking tool.

"Levi."

It's Eren,

Eren fucking Jaeger.

Levi can't move, so he doesn't. Eren doesn't seem to get the message because Levi feels himself being tugged away from Erwin, away from Hange, away from Petra, into a room that shuts out all the whispers and staring eyes. When Levi blinks again, he notes that he's in the conference room.

The soft wallpaper in contrast to the startling white of the infirmary does nothing to soothe him, and when his eyes finally meet Eren's, whatever anger, frustration, and hatred that has been boiling beneath the surfaceoverflows, and thereis only so much Levi can do to not strangle the man before him.

"Why the fuck are you doing this?" Levi asks, and when he speaks, his voice sounds as though he's swallowed a bagful of needles.

Eren's expression is one of concern, and the understanding that lurks within those eyes makes the anger within Levi burn all the fiercer.

"It was expected, Levi. I expected it. Armin expected it. Hell, even Hange expected it. You losing control didn't really come as a surprise, and we were all ready for it."

"Did you also expect me to almost murder Petra as well?" Levi snarls, and the suppressed fury beneath it all is evident.

Eren takes a step forward, but Levi isn't going to have any of it. He isn't going to let Eren whisper stupid lies into his ears. He doesn't need to be reminded that it's okay that he did what he did. Fuck them all, they don't have a single fucking clue what it's like.

He had almost killed his friend. One of his best and only friends. Did Eren not get that through his thick skull? It's not okay, and he can't just shove everything under the rug and pretend that everything is fine and dandy. Eren didn't fucking understand. Eren wasn't a fucking titan. How dare he spew hypocritical shit like this?

"I know you won't believe me when I say this, but I understand, Levi. I honestly fucking get it. I know what it feels like, the guilt, the self hatred—"

"SHUT THE FUCK UP."

Levi isn't going to listen. Eren can't pull this move on him. He doesn't understand. How can he possibly understand what it feels like to want to scrape his own skin off just because he knows that he's just a goddamned freak beneath everything else? How can Eren _possibly_ understand what it feels like to be a fucking monster?

"You're a fucking hypocrite. How can you possibly know what the fuck it's like? Fuck you, Eren. _Fuck. You_. You talk as if you now what I'm going through, when you have no fucking clue. I nearly killed her, Eren." Levi says hoarsely. He realizes that he's just called Eren by his name, but he barely cares now. Eren doesn't seem to care at the moment either.

"I was this close to fucking murdering her. Why don't you fucking try _that_ before acting like you know what it feels like!"

Levi doesn't see how Eren's entire being seizes up at this. He doesn't see the glossy eyes drain of color. All he can see is Eren, who is currently too stumped for words, and suddenly the anger that has been broiling beneath explodes and overflows.

"You told me that it would be fine, you liar," Levi all but screams, his eyes wild, and the murderous gleam in them snaps Eren out of whatever trance he was in. "I'll fucking kill you."

Eren barely has enough time to dodge when Levi launches at him, in his hand the standard military blade all recruits carry with them for emergencies. Levi isn't top of his class for nothing. Eren's dodge is elementary, probably because he was caught by surprise, so it isn't that hard for Levi to maneuver himself, arm swishing in a neat arc, and them he feels his blade dig into flesh.

It's exhilarating, and Levi revels in the sensation of hurting Eren. Yes, he deserves it. Eren deserveseverything. Eren should hurt for lying to him, for being the fucking hypocrite that he is. Levi is breathing heavily as he stands before Eren, who hasbeen forced backwards by the attack. A thin line of crimson splatter travels along the floor, as though linking Levi's blade, now coated in blood, to the jagged, open wound stretching along Eren's arm from the elbow to the wrist.

The thick red liquid spreadsquickly. It soaks Eren's clothes, and drips to the floor.

The drips echo sharply in Levi's ears, and as the glaring red dissipates from his vision, it finally hits Levi.

He has attacked a superior.

He has attacked an _unarmed_ superior.

The shock that slaps him across the face is stronger than anything else he has ever felt. All he can do is stare at the wound in Eren's arm and back to the knife in his hand. An even sharper stab of regret shoots through him when he sees Eren staring at him with wide eyes, and he can see the flash of betrayal in them.

What had he just done?

Levi wants to speak, but words fail him. He just stares at the gaping wound that drips blood. He caused that. He had hurt Eren. But… was it him, or was the wound actually getting _smaller_?

Now Levi wasn't really sure if hewas dreaming or hallucinating, because the wound slowly but surely sews itself back up; gaping flesh and muscle stitching itself together again until the skin was as whole and new as it was before Levi's stunt.

When Levi finally turns his gaze to Eren, he sees a pair of flat, lifeless steel green eyes staring blankly at him. The hurt in them tears at him, and Levi doesn't know what to do.

Eren lets his arm drop to one side, and turns away from Levi, before walking toward the door without another word.

The sight of Eren's back, which somehow looks terribly alone and forlorn, makes Levi rush forwards, disregarding the fact that he'd just seen Eren's arm sew itself back together. However, the minute his fingers brush Eren's elbow, the man flinches away so fastthat Levi takes a step back in shock.

"Ere— Sir, I—"

"DON'T," says Eren sharply, and Levi blinks at the hurt in Eren's voice. "Just don't— I can't — I just— Fuck. _Fuck_, Levi. Why can't you just—"

Eren shakes his head and walks out of the room, forgetting to close the door behind him. Ashell-shocked Levi is left behind. Levi isn't really sure what he's supposed to do. Should he go after Eren? Should he tell someone? But he's sure that there would be punishmentdealt out to him if anyone found out he'd attacked a superior.

He's about to go with the first option and look for Eren when someone stops him by walking into the room and locking the doors behind him. Levi doesn't know whether he should be angry or scared upon seeing Commander Arlert standing before him, his blue eyes hard and cold like diamonds. Something sick and bitter forms in the back of his throat when he notices just how silent Armin is. Had he heard everything? Did he… Well, even if Armin didn't see it, the blood on the floor and the knife in Levi's hand is proof enough.

The man just stands and watches Levi for what seems like centuries. He then slowly approaches Levi, who tenses up almost immediately, but Armin just walks past him and seats himself on one of the many horsehair chairs in the room. He clasps his hands together and props his chin on them, elbows resting on his thighs.

"Levi," Armin begins, and the iciness in his voice bites at Levi."Give the knife to me."

Armin holds out an open palm, waiting. Levi hesitates only for a fraction of a second before he reluctantly walks over to Armin and drops the bloody knife in his hand. Armin stares at the blood before slowly wiping it clean with his handkerchief, removing the bits trapped at the hilt and polishing the blade meticulously.

"I'll be frank with you, Levi," Armin says, without looking up from his task. "Out of all people, Eren is the one who understands the most."

Armin pauses and turns the knife in his hand, checking the sleek edge and the jagged area near the tip, wiping off a small stain in between the teeth, andthen slowly turns his attention to Levi. "You aren't a fool, Levi. I'm sure you saw what happened after you cut him."

Levi flinches.

Armin did that on purpose.

"His wound healed," Levi says quietly, and slowly, slowly, his brain puts everything together. Why Eren was so determined to help him; how Hange was about to let it slip; how Eren was able to influence the governors. Everything made sense, and Levi wants to hit himself for not realizing it sooner.

"Is he a—"

"He's a titan shifter as well, yes," says Armin, answering the unfinished question, before turning back tothe task of polishing Levi's knife. "That's why he helped you. He knows what it's like to be, as you so crudely put it, a monster. What happened today is what Eren was trying to train you for. Petra was collateral damage. We never intended for anyone to get hurt, but it'sunavoidable. There will be casualties, and this is just the first of many."

Armin's words are like cold water, chilling Levi's very bones, but the utter honesty and frankness in them are soothing in a way. At least Levi knows that Armin isn't lying to him.

"Eren wants to help you control your titan powers, because if you do not, everything willaccumulate and become worse. He wants to prevent something like this from ever happening again," Armin continues, tone frigid.

"Eren is the onlyone who _truly_ understands how it's like to hurt his friends without knowing it, and he knows that it's okay, it's normal at first no matter how much it hurts. It's normal, because it is something that you will have to come to terms with. Come to terms with and learn to control it. Learn so that you won't have to feel the same pain again."

Levi swallows, but doesn't speak. His attention is completely occupied by Armin's ministrations with his knife. The Commander continues to wipe the already clean blade, twisting it this way and that to make sure he hascleaned off all the blood.

"Eren understands how it's like to be a monster, because that's what he thinks he is. He knows the pain of being an outcast. He has been beaten, experimented on, tortured, all for the sake of humanity. And what you said to him, about him killing his friends?" Armin stops in his actions, and the glare that he directs at Levi is frightening, so much so that Levi feels something lodge itself in his throat.

"I will never forgive you for that." Armin declares frigidly, stormy blue eyes staring straight at him.

"Even if Eren does forgive you, which for some reason, I don't doubt that he will, I'm afraid I cannot. He is your superior, Levi. You should not have done what you did, allowing your grief to cloud your better judgment."

Armin twirls the blade in his palm, testing its weight and strength. "I am truly sorry that Petra was injured during the test, that I will not deny. She is one of my soldiers, and her life is as important to me as anyone else's. I don't like having people I care about hurt. But you have only _injured_ Petra, Levi. I spoke to Hange earlier, and Petra will recover just fine."

Levi wonders where Armin is going with this. With the way a shadow falls over his features, Levi doesn't really know if he wants to continue listening to Armin's tale.

"Eren lost control once too," continues Armin, testing the blade's point against his finger and drawing a small pinprick of blood. "He went ballistic, and there was only so much that could be done. He ended up killing someone."

Levi doesn't realize that he's been holding his breath for quite awhile now.

Eren killed someone.

Eren. Killed. Someone.

"He killed the man whom had taken him under his wing, as Eren has done for you."

Levi doesn't know why he feels so weak. This is probably the first time he has ever felt this way. He hated it. Why? Why now? Why Eren?

"I'm sure you've heard of Corporal Rivaille? The previous Humanity's Strongest?" Armin questions, wiping off the tiny splotch of blood on the blade tip before looking at Levi expectantly.

"Yes. I have,"Levi replies hollowly. Who _didn't_ know who Corporal Rivaille was? Everyone knew him. He was the first man to bring down a 15-meter titan all by himself in less than 2 minutes without any help whatsoever. His name had been mentioned in the many history and weaponry books Levi was forced to study during his time in the training academy. Levi knows that Erwin is one of his many worshippers. But no one knows what happened to him, no one in the current generation, that is. He just left on an expedition and never returned.

Levi swallows. Everything made sense. Eren was the titan shifter placed under trial 15 years ago, and Corporal Rivaille is the one who took him under his wing and sheltered him in the Scouting Legion. After his death, Eren took his place and title. Everything was placed under wraps because Eren could be sentenced to death if this piece of information was to be made public in this day and age.

"No one in this time knows what he looks like, and all personal artifacts, pictures, as well as his military photographs have been destroyed along with the body to avoid suspicion,"Armin closes his eyes."It was the first time a Commander used his position of power to save a comrade who murdered a comrade. But it was Corporal Rivaille's final wish, that Eren was kept safe."

This was too much information, and Levi has trouble digesting it, but he tries. He tries because he didn't know. He didn't know that this was what Eren had to endure each and every day of his life, knowing that he had murdered a friend, a comrade, a mentor, a Corporal.

"Corporal Rivaille was Eren's mentor and his friend, and I'd like to think they were a little more than friends too,"Armin says quietly, and Levi's eyes widen at this. It stings a little, but he can't really blame Eren. Romantic feeling amongst superiors and subordinates were not uncommon in the military. After all, there were more boys than girls, and fully grown men being cooped up in rooms with a bunch of 15 year olds,some of which look a lot like girls, did not help the situation at all.

"It took years for him to ever be the same, but his resolve to save you from what happened to him is amazing. He truly cares for you, Levi. He understands, and he is loyal to those around him. But most importantly, he will never, ever, judge you for what you are."

Armin finally gets to his feet, towering over a very quiet Levi. He presses the hilt of Levi's now clean blade into his hand before brushing past him.

"I suggest you think about what I just told you while I speak to Mikasa about your punishment," Armin says, a tone of finality in his voice as he gets up and walks across the room. The audible clack of the door closing is like a shot in the dark.

As Levi turns Armin's words over in his mind, and over again, he realizes that for the first time in his life, he feels truly guilty.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: This is the final chapter of Part 1**

**Thanks for all the sweeties who favourited and reviewed. I honestly do appreciate it, and it really fucking, makes my day. So thanks you for reading this story, and I hope you can rec it out to other ppl who wanna see this kinda role-reversal (because I would KILL for someone to write something with Corporal Eren. Tell me if you find any and I will love you forever 3)**

**I haven't even started writing the second part, but if you'd like to see something happen or have any scenarios on your mind, I'd be glad to take ****suggestions**

**Till next time peeps**

**- Yume**

* * *

**Chapter 5: Diminuendo (Epilogue)**

Mikasa nearly goes ballistic when Armin explains the situation to her. Erd, Aururo, Gunther, and Connie have to restrain her to keep herfrom launching herself at Levi, who in turn is shielded by both Erwin and Hange.

"Let me go," she spits, thrashing wildly."I'll fucking dismember this midget."

"Urgh, calm down, Mikasa!" groans Connie, his arm wrapped tightly around her upper torso. "Ah! Don't hit _me_! Geez! Where the hell are Annie and Ymir? They can restrain her a lot better than I can!"

"Too bad," grunts Erd, who has Mikasa's arm in a tight lock to prevent her from reaching for her blades. "Lieutenant Leonhardt and Squad Leader Ymir are with Krista out on a scouting expedition with their troops. We have to deal with Squad Leader Ackerman on our own."

"Please, Levi didn't mean it!" Erwin tries reasoning with a very crazed-looking Mikasa. "He didn't know Corporal Jaeger was a—"

"A titan shifter? That's hardly an excuse," says Commander Arlert, who has a hand on Mikasa's red scarf, holding her back as well. "He should not have attacked his superior in the first place."

Erwin didn't have a comeback for that.

Mikasa wasn't the only one nearly flying off the handle.

The door of the room is flung open, and a very red-faced Jean stomps in, panting heavily and completely out of breath. "I can't fucking find him," Jean gasps, and his eye finally lands on Levi. "What the flying _fuck_ did you do?"

"I've already briefed you about Levi's insubordination, Jean. You don't have to go yelling it through the halls," Armin sighs, exasperated.

"I know!" Jean groans, completely losing his head. "But still— Shit fuck, where the _hell_ is he now?"

Sasha is the next one to report back, and there is still no sign of Eren anywhere at the base. Jean is close to freaking out now.

"You don't think he went titan, do you?" Jean asks frantically. "I mean, the little shit here did cut him."

Armin is confident when he shakes his head. "No, Eren wouldn't do that. Besides, if Eren were to transform, we'd have a 15 meter titan rampaging the area. It wouldn't be that difficult to notice."

Levi barely registers the conversation happening around him. He's completely appalled at himself, and not even Hange's reassuring pat can drag him from the hole he's just dug himself into.

Erwin wasn't very surprised to know that Eren was a shifter as well.

"It makes sense," he had said. "_Everything_ makes sense now, actually."

When the twelfth bell echoes across the still darkness from the town bell tower, Armin finally decides that it's time to call it a night. Jean is given the job of escorting Levi back to the dungeons, because if Mikasa were to do it, she'd most likely murder Levi before they made it out of the room.

Levi has never seen Jean this worked up, this frazzled. He's always seen him and Eren quarrelling, and to see Jean so concerned really shakes him for some reason.

"I suppose you're wondering why I'm freaking out," Jean mutters as he leads Levi down the dark stone steps. "I don't actually hate Jaeger. I just— I've seen him at his worst; his absolute worst. And I really don't want that to happen again," he turns his gaze on Levi. "Never again."

Jean isn't Eren.

Jean isn't gentle nor is he patient. He's not careful when he cuffs Levi to his bed, and the manacles pinch at his skin. Jean doesn't know that Eren leaves the candle behind for Levi when he has urgent business to attend to, because if not Levi feels as though the darkness is pressing him in, suffocating him. Jean doesn't know that Eren stays leaning against the bars of Levi's cell and talks him to sleep. Jean knows nothing.

Once Levi is secure in bed, Jean picks up the candleholder and steps out of the room, remembering to lock the door behind him. The light fades along with Jean's footsteps, and that night, Levi is left alone with his nightmares, and this time, there is no gentle humming to make them go away.

Levi barely sleeps that night, and when a very frazzled Jean comes and drags him out of bed the next morning, the entire legion is in an uproar — Eren isn't back yet.

Mikasa is screaming bloody murder, and the minute Levi walks into the room, she flies off her seat and lunges at him like an enraged cat, all in all, very unbecoming of a squad leader. She twists her fingers into Levi's shirt, practically lifting him off the ground.

"_You_. You caused all this shit! If anything, _anything_ happens to Eren, I will personally—"

"Mikasa!" Armin says, his voice commanding. "Stop it!"

"—I will personally see to it that you are gutted and hung for display," she snarls, completely ignoring Armin; completely beside herself with unbridled rage.

Levi is tired. He really isn't in the mood for this. "Fucking let me go," he spits, eyes heavy with sleep deprivation, narrowing to give him an almost feral look. "_Right. Now_."

"Levi!"

"Squad leader—!"

"MIKASA."

"Don't do that to Levi! Please! He didn't know—"

But then the door opens, and everyone falls silent as a familiar tall brunette walks in, his mouth open, frozen, as he gawks at the scene before him. He slowly takes in the many sleep-deprived people looking ready to tear each other to shreds, and blinks once, twice.

"Uh, what the hell is going on?" Eren says, making a dismissive gesture with his hand, blue-green eyes filled with confusion.

It is utter silence for several minutes. Levi profits from this time by taking in Eren's entire being, his eyes lingering on Eren's pale cheeks and heavy eye bags.

Jean is the one who breaks the silence first.

"You asswipe! You disappear for hours on end, and have the gall to walk in and be all, 'what's up'?! I should make your face permanently one with the fucking ground!"

Without so much as a warning, Jean leaps onto Eren like an enraged bull, arms flailing wildly, trying to reach any part of Eren possible.

"What the actual fuck, horseface! Get off me!" Eren yells, delivering several punches of his own to Jean's gut. It's awhile before Levi is able to register that Eren fucking Jaeger is back, and acting as though nothing happened. It grates at his nerves. How dare Eren act like nothing is wrong when the guilt that has been eating at his gut has kept him awake for the majority of the night?

Mikasa forcefully drags Jean off Eren and envelops the surprised man in a hug. Eren can only awkwardly pat her arm, reassuring her that yes, he's fine. He just needed some time alone.

"Is it because of what the midget did?" Mikasa asks, pulling away from Eren to inspect his face. "Because I know what happened, and I am going to murder—"

"Mikasa is going to have him on latrine duty and stable duty for the rest of the year," Armin interrupts, looking stern. "Eren, come with me for a minute." He then turns to the room of soldiers and frowns.

"And what are you all standing around for? Don't you have duties to attend to?" Armin says, voice hard. "Get to it!"

Everyone scrambles for the doors, and Eren purses his lips before following Armin reluctantly. He does not spare Levi a since glance.

Levi bites his lip. Is Eren really going to pull the silent treatment shit on him? Well, fuck him. Does he think that doing this will force an apology out of him or something?

"Levi?" Erwin tries, laying a hand on Levi's tensed shoulder. "I'm gonna go see Petra. Are you coming?"

Levi turns to look at Erwin. He should go with him. Petra would want to see him if she were awake. He should just leave everything be. Things might come to settle down sooner or later. After all, this was Corporal Jaeger they were talking about. There was no way he'd let something like this get to him, right?

But Levi knows. He knows that he himself isn't going to feel any better until he says something, because, ultimately, it's his fault, isn't it?

"No. You go see her. I have to do something."

He shrugs off Erwin's hand and makes a beeline for the main doors, but another hand clamps down on his shoulder, one that is less gentle and with the way the person's nails dig into his flesh, Levi doesn't have to turn around to know who the person is.

"Get your hands off me."

"If you're thinking about going after Eren, you must be crazy to think I'd let you." Mikasa's voice is cold and sharp, and for some reason, Levi doesn't blame her for not trusting him. He does want to strangle her for thinking that Eren would be that weak to let something like this get to him.

Shutting out Mikasa's voice, Levi yanks his shoulder and sprints out the door. He expects Mikasa to follow, but from the sudden raised voices behind him, he supposes that someone must have stopped her from going after him. He relaxes almost immediately.

The corridors are empty, and Levi realizes that he really isn't sure where Armin might have taken Eren in the first place. It isn't fear that creeps up his veins; it's desperation. He needs to see Eren. He needs to see him now. Levi hates this foreign neediness, and he wholly blames Eren for it, because he's certain that if he'd never met the Eren underneath all those layers of false pretenses and lies, he'd never have seen the true person suffering from guilt and loneliness all these years.

Fuck Eren.

_Fuck_ him.

If he'd just remained the uptight prick Levi first met, he wouldn't have spared Eren another fucking glance, but no, the idiot had to go open up to him and worm his way into his life like a damn parasite.

Levi doesn't hear the clack of someone's boots against the stone floor as he rounds the corner, and slams face first into a very hard shoulder.

"FUCK. What—"

"Oh, Levi."

Great. Just fucking great. How ridiculously cliché could this get?

"Are you okay?I'm sorry I didn't get back in time yesterday to escort you down to the basement. I heard that horseface did though. Was he a jerk to you while doing it?"

Levi closes his eyes. How the fuck can Eren still act so normal?

"Sir," he tries, amazed again at how close he had been to letting Eren's name slip out.

"Armin just gave me a talk about how corporals should act," Eren continues, not listening. "And yeah. I guess I'm wrong. I should have told someone before bolting like that. Mikasa probably blew her—"

"I'm sorry."

Eren blinks, his gorgeous aquamarine eyes wide. He opens his mouth to say something, but then he closes it, seemingly unable to form words. Levi only sighs and looks away.

"I didn't know," he says quietly. So quiet that Eren barely hears him.

There is an awkward silence between them, one in which Levi feels like ripping someone's face off, because, goddammit, fucking say something already. Eren can't— He can't just leave him hanging here like this.

"Thank you."

And Levi looks up, unable to control his eyes from widening. This just isn't him. It isn't. How is Eren able to do this to him? It just wasn't fucking fair. Two words. Only two simple words, and the tension melts away as though it were made of nothing. Whatever bile had been rising in Levi's throat disappears, leaving him with a strange hollow feeling inside. Well, at least it's better than the acidic guilt that felt like it was about to burn through his stomach lining.

"Hey, Levi?" Eren begins, his tone soft, soothing. "Come with me for a minute please."

Levi looks at Eren.

He really should be going to see Petra now. He shouldn't get himself mixed up in this shit any further. He should say no. He should walk away.

"Okay."

And Eren smiles.

* * *

Eren takes him to the stables, where he prepares a sleek coconut-brown steed, which Levi recognizes as belonging to Mikasa. He leads the horse out of the dark stalls and slips the bridle and saddle on expertly. The horse doesn't protest, what with Eren whispering sweet nothings into her ear and running his fingers through her mane.

"Armin confiscated my horse," Eren chuckles, walking out into the still dawn with Levi following him silently. "But Mikasa won't miss hers if we are quick. Come on."

Eren hoists himself up before extending a hand to Levi, who raises a skeptical brow. "You are gonna get yourself murdered by the Commander and Squad Leader, and _I_ am gonna be put on latrine duty for two years if anyone finds out."

Eren laughs, and the sound of it hangs in the quiet of the early morning, the sun barely extending over the horizon. "That's why we have to be quick."

"I'm not prepared to be seen riding with you like that," Levi says flatly. "With all due respect, I'm not riding fucking passenger with you, Sir."

"It's too early for anyone to be out, and besides, where we're going, there won't be anyone there."

"Are you planning on taking me out to kill me?" Levi deadpans, and Eren laughs again. Fuck, if only he could keep on hearing Eren laugh like that. Levi wouldn't care whatever the fuck punishment was thrown his way.

"Only this once," Levi says, but he smacks Eren's hand away and climbs up behind him without any help. "And I didn't agree to go willingly. You _ordered_ me to."

Eren sighs. "You really are an ass, you know?"

"I've been told."

Eren chortles, and once Levi is seated behind him securely, Eren urges the horse to make a run for it. Adamant on not touching Eren in any way, Levi digs his fingers into the edge of the saddle to stop himself from flying off.

They ride down a beaten path into the small woodland that Levi sees every day from the training grounds. It was off limits to everyone aside from the superiors, and Levi didn't reallycare about why the place was off limits, never bothering to ask.

When they enter the cool wood, Levi is taken aback by the sudden sense of peace that envelops him. Whether it's the change of scenery orthe fresh smell of grass and dew that ensconce him, Levi isn't very sure. All that he's certain about is that there has to be some freaking reason why the higher ups in the Corps would want to keep this place untouched.

Eren finallystops the horse a little way away from a very small clearing that has been tucked away behind a large tree. The area is quiet and very secluded, which makes Levi a little worried. If Eren wanted to end his life here, there would be no one to help him. Well, at least he'd get to die in a place as peaceful and as beautiful as this. He has no regrets.

"Hey, where are you taking me?"

Eren only smiles, gesturing at the clearing. Levi approaches it with wary steps, and then he stops, eyes wide.

There is what looks like an oblong slab of stone embedded into the ground at the base of the large tree. Levi isn't blind. He knows it's a headstone. The writing carved into it is worn, but still legible.

_Corporal Rivaille_

_810 - 845_

He wonders why Eren brought him here. It's not like he cared. He didn't know Corporal Rivaille, after all. All the knowledge he had was several paragraphs on how he had helped humanity before having the life snuffed out of him, apparently by Eren himself. To Levi, Corporal Rivaille was a just a faceless person who had left nothing but a name to remember.

"Reev-ale," Levi reads, and he finds his fingers tracing the capitalized letters.

Eren laughs. "It's pronounced 'Reev-aye'. It's French. Aren't you French too?"

Levi scowls. "Only partially, you dipshit."

Eren ignores the insult and grins, but his eyes are sad. Levi isn't stupid; he can tell that something has shifted. What it is, he isn't sure.

"I'm slowly forgetting his face, y'know. I mean, I remember what he looks like, it's just that…I guess you could say that it's sorta… fading." Eren looks at Levi, who in turn, just stares back. Armin was definitely correct. Eren and this faceless Corporal were definitely more that just fucking superior and subordinate.

"Y'know, now that I think about it, you kinda look like him. Especially around the eyes. He _was_ a pretty grumpy man."

Levi grimaces. "That's fucking disgusting," Levi says flatly. He knows he's harsh, and that perhaps coarse words were not ideal at this moment, but he isn't going to soften up just because of this incident.

"I thought you said you were forgetting him? How can you tell?"

Eren shrugs. "I dunno. I guess I'm just repainting his face or whatever. It doesn't matter anymore anyway."

A breeze rustles the leaves, and Levi can only look at Eren, taking in those stunning blue-green eyes that are as vibrant as the time when he first saw them through steam and strings of titan flesh and muscle.

"You loved him," Levi says simply, his expression apathetic. It's more of a statement rather than a question.

"Love," Eren corrects. "I still do."

This, somehow, stings Levi.

"Do you think someone can replace him?" Levi asks, and it comes out so disinterested that it shocks even himself.

"No one can replace him. It's his own fucking story, and it's obviously ended," Eren says, laughing softly. There is no bitterness or malice in his tone. He then looks at Levi, a smirk playing on his face.

"Why? Did you want to?"

His features are soft, and his eyes a gentle mix of green and blue, glossy under the morning sunlight that slips through the canopy of leaves.

And Levi can only stare at Eren. Perhaps it is the way the sun slants through the trees, or the way Corporal Eren's eyes shimmer with a gentle blue glow, but in this quiet tranquil world where it's just the two of them, the air seems to be glittering.

**FIN**


End file.
